


Space Rats

by ImperialMint



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Space, Animal Death, Conservation, Ecology, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, M/M, Rats, Reincarnation, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:35:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 32,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7904959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperialMint/pseuds/ImperialMint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi doesn't believe in past lives, no matter what the latest trends say he should believe. He accepted discovering his past life to get his family off of a dying planet, nothing more nothing less. What he hadn't accepted was the fact that past lives did exist, and his hadn't exactly been a barrel of laughs.</p><p>Now Levi had to find the people he'd lost, something that was easier said than done when there was an entire universe to explore. </p><p>And especially when that universe needed saving.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for eruriweekend! This is something I've wanted to do for a while, and I'm so excited to finally be doing it.
> 
> Everyone gets a happy ending. **Everyone**.
> 
> Thank you to @lunarshores for betaing! I hope you enjoy, I welcome all feedback including concrit.

Staring down the corridor, Levi tried not to think too hard about the past 24 hours. He tried not to think much about anything, really, just focused on the glaring pale corridor, noting the doors they passed with little interest. He already knew which door was his destination.  
  
With each footstep, faces flashed in his mind, and Levi couldn’t hold them off any longer. He thought of Farlan, mouth pressed into a thin line, worry lining his brow as he’d reached for the papers, hands shaking. He thought of Isabel, angry frown on her face as she’d cursed black and blue, all the things she was going to do just for him. He thought of his mother, smoothing his collar as she’d accompanied him to the dock, silent. None of them had had a choice; Levi had taken that away from them.  
  
It was for their own good, Levi reminded himself, the words of the police that had taken him in playing on his mind. Lovof had been watching, they’d warned, and Levi had been too busy running around trying to save up so he could get his mother, Isabel, Farlan and himself off the miserable planet they’d been dumped on by fate. He’d wanted a better life for them, and if Levi had to go through this shit to make sure they’d get that life, he’d do it a thousand times over.  
  
The door had a paper sign stuck to it precariously with one piece of tape. It was curling over on itself, the sign, but Levi could see the words, printed bold and black. He narrowed his eyes, taking in the words that were about to change his life forever. They might be a lot simpler than the pamphlet he’d been given, straight to the point, but they were no less terrifying.  
  
**PAST LIVES** ****  
**An experiment on the human mind.**  
  
When research had first spread across the universe on past lives, no one had paid much attention. A few had, but those were the kind of people who looked up and obeyed their horoscope every week, harping on that the higher powers had a plan for them, so why should they do anything? Those people, those wastes of space, made Levi feel sick, and he’d ignored the mass’s interest in past lives.  
  
It had persisted, though. Research paper upon research paper, by both human and alien scientists, claimed that all the bullshit about past lives and reincarnation actually held truth. Humans - and some alien species - were destined to be reincarnated, and memories of past lives could be triggered through the power of science.  
  
Of course, Levi just thought it was a way for some companies to make more money, and the ones who claimed to remember their past lives no doubt had just watched too many old time movies or played weird video games as kids. There was no such thing as past lives; it was ridiculous.  
  
And yet… here Levi was. Outside a door on a space port, far from home and alone, with only the company of an intergalactic officer, who’d proven that it wasn’t afraid to use force if Levi ‘looked shifty’. He’d been taking a shit, not planning to ditch his guard, but that still hadn’t stopped him from being tackled to a bathroom floor.  
  
Isabel would have loved it, Farlan too. They’d have laughed at Levi, cheered his alien guard on even. But they hadn’t been there, and Levi was going into this unknown alone.  
  
The door opened smoothly, and Levi strode inside, assessing the sight before him with a critical eye. A row of plastic chairs, a door out to a chute that would lead them to the spacecraft, and a booth. That was it. That was all there was to his future.  
  
“Lovof’s man,” the officer with Levi grunted out, clickers by its mouth whirring as it spoke. “To be sent to the-“  
  
“Yeah yeah,” the person, who at least had some human in them due to the human features on its face. Everything Levi could see above the booth looked human too, and the person slammed a hand down on the desk. “I know, here’s your confirmation papers. The electronics are down again in this stupid port, third time this week.”  
  
The person fixed Levi a narrow-eyed stare, hitting the keypad before them a few times and sighing.  
  
“The ship’s due to leave in 10. You’re the only passenger. It’s automated: just go down the chute, and take your seat. Fuck with anything, and you’ll die in cold space.” Levi met their stare, crossing his arms. He didn’t even break eye contact to watch his former officer leave. There was nothing behind him anymore. He had to look to the future if he wanted to keep his family safe.  
  
“You’ll get to HQ, do whatever they want, and then probably be sent on some sort of mission related to your past life.” The person slammed their hand down on the keyboard again, practically growling at it. “Let’s hope your past life was a secretary for a failing business so you can take this shitty job.”  
  
They looked up, glaring at something above them, and Levi turned. There was a small camera there, red light blinking gently to remind them all they were being watched. It made Levi’s skin crawl, and the person behind the booth sighed, grabbing a stack of forms from under the counter.  
  
“Take these. Read them if you want—it’s legal shit so the company doesn’t get in trouble if you reject or whatever. Have fun, go down the chute, bye,” they said, and Levi knew this was the last moment he could back out of this. If he went on that ship, that was it for the rest of his life. He took the papers, heard the door to the chute slide open, and there wasn’t anything more to it, was there?  
  
Time to go. Time to do what he had to. Time to put his promise into action. Time to keep Kuchel, Isabel and Farlan in their new homes, on a planet that wasn’t crumbling due to pollution. They were safe, and Levi could do this.  
  
The ship waiting was a two-man sized affair. Levi would have enough room to pace about, if he wanted, and it was tall enough that he could stretch fully up with his arms and not touch the ceiling. For all they skimped on the port office (one of undoubtedly many), the ship was quality.  
  
Seven minutes and thirteen seconds was the amount of time Levi had to wait, stewing in the soft light of the ship. Seven minutes and thirteen seconds until his life changed again, and he was on his way to be put through whatever shitty experiment they wanted. Seven minutes and thirteen seconds and he’d be in cold space, heading to a completely new life.  
  
They passed slowly, every second counted in Levi’s head. His fingers tightened on his knees after he’d taken a seat, and he heard the whir of controls and engines, signalling it was almost time to make the automated route. He breathed slowly for the last forty seconds, and then they were off.  
  
There were no windows, nothing Levi could see through to look at the universe around them. The officer’s shuttle he had made the journey between Underground, Lovof’s ship, and the space port hadn’t had windows either. There had been windows on Lovof’s ship, but Levi had been a little busy trying not to get his family killed to go sightseeing.  
  
He wished he could see it. Levi had spent a lifetime looking up at the stars between clouds of smog, and he’d always wondered what it would be like to be up there, be a proper part of the universe. There hadn’t been many options for them on Underground, and Levi had had to take the only option to get out he could. They were safe, so it didn’t matter if Levi never got to see the stars.  
  
The ship juddered, and Levi knew they were setting out, cutting a clean path through cold space to wherever the main base was. Levi didn’t know what to expect, had only heard horror stories whispered and amazing tales blared on the media. Who did he trust more? Underground’s thugs or the media?  
  
It didn’t matter in the end. Levi was going to be subject to an experiment, supposedly gain memories of his past life, and then do something for the organisation related to that. It was the surest way of deciding the work Levi was born to do, as Lovof had put it. He’d smiled creepily at that, as if he knew exactly what Levi was headed for, and Levi grimaced at the memory.  
  
The journey wasn’t a quick one, and Levi was left to think in the dark, small lights on the control panel his only companion.  
  
He thought of Isabel, how she’d promised him they’d keep out of trouble, get proper jobs, visit his mother, and maybe get a pet. She’d joked they’d get a parrot, call it Levi and teach it to curse everyone out. Levi hoped they did get it. It would be a long while before he could see them again.  
  
He thought of Farlan, how he’d watched Lovof’s men with unease in his eyes. He’d been the more serious one, but when the time came for Levi to leave, he’d been the first to pull Levi in for a hug. It was something they hadn’t done before, and Levi swore it wouldn’t be the last time. He’d go back and hug all of them, show them whatever spoils he got from this stupid thing and laugh at the ridiculous things his supposed past life sent him.  
  
And then he thought of his mother. She’d been looking healthier than she had for years when she’d waved goodbye, the benefits of their new home shining through despite only being there for a few weeks. It had hurt Levi to look at her, remembering what she’d gone through on Underground, how much she’d suffered just for him. Levi knew she could have left years back if not for him, and instead she’d been forced to scrape for a living, deal with the dying Underground planet rather than looking for a future somewhere safer.  
  
This was the best option. His mother was safe, alive, and well once more. One day he’d return to her, and Farlan and Isabel. He just had to endure, get through the process and-  
  
The ship came to a shaky stop, the engines hissing to silence. Nothing happened for a moment, and Levi undid his seatbelt, leaning forwards. He was ready to act, even if he was weaponless. He could think on his feet and use his bare hands if he needed to. Despite assurances that this was a way forward, that no one would harm him, Levi would be an idiot to trust empty words without any proof.  
  
The ship door opened slowly, and Levi stepped out, eyes narrowed. He was in a nondescript docking room, a dark workroom that stored all the small ships that docked at this base. It was a lot smaller than he’d been expecting, and Levi looked around, eyes settling on the only interesting thing there, a group of humanoid people.  
  
Three stood sternly, watching him as he made his way forward, but the fourth, who had been bouncing in place, strode forwards, grin on their face as they came to a stop before Levi, hands out as if they itched to grab him.  
  
“Hanji Zoe,” they said, ducking their head and grinning even wider. “They/them,” they continued, the standard greeting, and they circled Levi, a strange laugh bubbling from their lips.  
  
“Remarkable,” they said, shifting their glasses, and Levi felt horror sink in his stomach. Were they crying?  
  
“Levi Ackerman,” Levi replied slowly, walking over to the rest of the group slowly, “he/him.”  
  
They still wouldn’t stop dogging Levi’s heels, and he spared one annoyed glance towards the other three figures, snapping his head around to glare at Hanji.  
  
“Sorry, sorry,” they said hurriedly, not seeming sorry at all. “I offered to be here, once I saw your name on the incoming list. I mean it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”  
  
Levi had no idea what they were on about, and he shrugged.  
  
“Sure,” he agreed quietly, voice low. “Now get the fuck out of my way.”  
  
If anything, that seemed to just spur Hanji on, and Levi had a feeling they would become the bane of his life.  
  
“Welcome to Past Lives,” one of the humanoid figures said, holding out a tablet and folder for Levi to take. “Inside the welcome pack is information on the station and how to get to your room. The belongings you sent on ahead are there already, as well as your generic uniform.”  
  
Levi nodded, already knowing that. He’d sent his possessions on ahead of himself, and now they were here. He’d spend a day or two in this station, head down to the labs after that, and then get injected with whatever they wanted to try and trigger his past lives. Then he’d be shipped off somewhere else, processed and done. Simple.  
  
Hanji was still staring in his direction, something close to awe on their face. Levi tried to ignore them, tried to keep his focus on the other three, who were busy detailing what was no doubt included in the information just passed over to him. Hanji commanded an air of mystery, though, and Levi found himself looking at them, eyes narrowed.  
  
“Do I know you?” he asked suddenly, cutting through whatever the others had been saying. Levi expected Hanji to frown or shake their head, but instead all he got was a soft smile and a shrug.  
  
“The universe is a big place,” they said gently and fell silent, slipping back into place by the others.  
  
“There may be some familiar faces around the base at this time,” one of the figures said, tucking a strand of hair behind their ear. “We’re recruiting for a specific programme, and this one seems to think you’ll fit that recruitment,” they said, gesturing to Hanji.  
  
Levi shrugged. He was supposed to know Hanji from his previous life? Sure.  
  
“Whatever, I need a shower,” he said instead, tucking the tablet and folder under his arm. The figures nodded in synch, including Hanji.  
  
They were happy to let him go, under Hanji’s supervision, and Levi wondered what kind of place this was exactly. They knew nothing about him, and yet they were willing to let him loose?  
  
“I know what you’re thinking,” Hanji said, and Levi looked at them, noting that they had slightly shortened their step to keep in pace with him. “Normally the people who come here want to be here. They want to know about their past lives and can’t wait to get their memories back.”  
  
Hanji paused, turning down a blank corridor, doors lining the hallway like a hotel. Cabins, Levi assumed, where those taking part in the experiments stayed until they were shipped onto whatever task awaited them based on memories. It was a stupid system, if you asked Levi. Even if these past memories existed, the past was the past. Whoever that Levi was in their memories, it wasn’t the Levi he was now.  
  
Still. Sacrifices had to be made.  
  
“I don’t though,” Levi said simply, and Hanji grinned as they stopped before a door, patting it.  
  
“No, you don’t,” they said, leaning a shoulder against the door. “But they have something on you, or else you wouldn’t be here. I know you, Levi, even if you don’t know it yet.”  
  
It was creepy, Levi decided, and he flicked the folder he was holding open, snatching the key card inside. The number matched the door next to the one Hanji was leaning on, and oh fuck, were they neighbours?  
  
“It’s good to see you,” Hanji said suddenly, all traces of mirth lost. Something had gone horribly, terribly wrong in that past life then, if Hanji’s reaction was anything to go by.  
  
“Yeah,” Levi said in return, words sticking in his throat as he saw the hope and sadness in Hanji’s gaze. “Maybe after my injection I’ll be able to say the same.” He didn’t want to see that happiness fade, regardless of his personal beliefs. There was something about Hanji too, and he gave them a tiny smile.  
  
“I’ll wake you up for orientation tomorrow,” they said, jerking their head to Levi’s door. “Rest, you deserve it.”  
  
There was nothing more to it, so Levi swiped his card and entered his room. Soft light flickered on as soon as he stepped inside, illuminating a single-bed-with-desk-room. A wardrobe sat sunk into the wall too, a mirror on one of the doors, and then there was a small, thin door that, upon further inspection, Levi found led to a small but usable bathroom. It wasn’t perfect, but it was adequately clean, and Levi’s stuff was here, a single bag sitting on the floor by his bed.  
  
It was a little sad that his entire life’s worth could be contained in a bag, but he hadn’t wanted to bring much. His mother had tried to press mementoes and photos, but Levi had just shrugged her off. It would be harder if he saw them every day, a universe apart. All he’d brought were the necessities, nothing more.  
  
The shower spat out a decent spray, and Levi cranked the heat up, letting some of the tension leave him. It hadn’t been so bad here so far, even if this was just a temporary base, and even if Hanji was a little off. They seemed nice enough, but there was so much there that Levi didn’t know.  
  
He shut the shower off and switched the dryer on, hot air drying him in seconds. Fresh water had been a luxury on Underground so cleaning was restricted. With little water to shower with, drying hadn’t really been an issue, and the only times Levi had used full showers and body-dryers had been the handful of times he, Isabel and Farlan had snuck aboard ships that had mistaken Underground for somewhere else. It was nice to be able to have this, and Levi spared a moment to wonder if his mother’s new house had a dryer.  
  
Levi didn’t bother to dress, instead heading to the bed and inspecting the covers. They’d do, he thought, and he slipped under the sheets, the day catching up to him. He was tired, an odd ache in his chest that had started the moment he’d stepped from the ship, and an unknown future waiting for him.  
  
Sleep came easily, oddly enough.  
  
.  
  
The days before his procedure were dull. Levi spent most of it reading and re-reading the information in the booklet he’d been given or following Hanji around the base. They pointed out a few scrappy clusters they could see from the few windows of the station, explaining excitedly that they were on the edge of this system and could be thrown out at any time. Levi thought that was slightly terrifying and said nothing, eyes fixed out at the stars. There had to have been so many around Underground, obscured by smog and acid rain. Levi felt nothing for leaving Underground behind.

There was something there, across the universe, that was calling to him. He had no idea what it was, not even an inkling, but there was something waiting for him. Perhaps it had something to do with Levi’s past life, or perhaps he was just missing his family that much. Whatever it was, Levi spent plenty of time by the various windows, hardly blinking as he stared, trying to answer questions that he couldn’t fully form.  
  
“It’s today, isn’t it?” Hanji asked as they sat down, canteen tray wobbling precariously under the weight of the food on it. The chef, a stick-thin alien with eyes covering its entire circle face, had a soft spot for Hanji, and they took full advantage of it.  
  
Levi didn’t reply, shovelling his own breakfast down in silence and waiting for his hot water to cool. There was no tea on this forsaken base so Levi had to deal with water. It was a feeble substitute, but it was still something, at least.  
  
“Today’s the day,” he said eventually, and Hanji cocked a brow at him. They never pressed him, that was something Levi appreciated. Perhaps it had something to do with them supposedly knowing him in his past life. Perhaps Hanji just liked Levi, and wasn’t that an odd thought. The only people who liked him were his mother, Farlan and Isabel.  

“Excited? I remember the day I went in, though it was only a few weeks ago,” Hanji said, and Levi blinked, hand curling over the top of his drink.  
  
“A few weeks?” he asked, and Hanji nodded.  
  
“Seems like I’ve been here forever, doesn’t it?” they said, and Levi nodded. “I was part of a research division before I came here, still working for the company though. I helped work towards the formula we use now, actually, and I always wanted to try it.”  
  
They paused to take a few bites, smiling.  
  
“You don’t just get randomly picked for this programme, you know,” they said, leaning closer to Levi. “Someone has to suggest you – after remembering, you’ll be asked if you want to submit some names. They’ll try and trace people, track down humans who might have been from that life too, and there’s an interview process…” Hanji paused, chewing their food slowly.  
  
Levi doesn’t quite know how to act. He’d known he’d gotten in easily, but he hadn’t actually considered what other people had to do in order to be a part of this programme. Recommendations, interviews, no doubt strict regulations surrounding all of that and yet… Levi had bypassed it all.  
  
“So you recommended me then?” Levi asked, expecting Hanji to launch into a tale full of laughter. Instead they shook their head, eyes glancing down.  
  
“I only submitted one name,” they said, voice quiet. “There was one person I wanted them to find, to thank them. You won’t remember him, but he was always there for me.” Hanji smiled softly, and Levi knew better than to pry.  
  
“The process is different for everyone, we’ve been able to prove. Some people remember their entire lives, others focus on specific parts, others specific people. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern, but whoever recommended you must have known you well.” Hanji set down their fork, wiping their mouth with the back of their sleeve. It was gross, but not unexpected.  
  
“Why?” Levi asked, curious despite himself. He’d just figured that Lovof had wanted rid of him and needed a new guinea pig for some company he was invested in. Could it be that this had been his destiny all along? It seemed ridiculous.  
  
“They must have known your surname. Not even I knew you were an Ackerman in our past life,” Hanji said, and Levi really didn’t understand the world they’d supposedly come from. It seemed like a bizarre thing, if his surname hadn’t been known. Had he not had any family?  
  
“Well,” Levi said awkwardly, fingers coming to rest on his empty tray, abandoning the drink. It was too hot anyway. “Maybe the next time I see you, I’ll be able to tell you why that was.”  
  
Hanji nodded, an excited laugh bubbling from their chest. It echoed throughout the room, but no one turned to stare at them. It seemed as if everyone was used to such behaviour from Hanji, and Levi had accepted it hours into his arrival to the base.  
  
He decided to stay in the canteen until he was collected, watching the others in the hall. Everyone except a handful of staff were human, something which Hanji had informed him of was pretty common. One species per base and they didn’t have to keep tonnes of different diets and medications on board. The alien staff seemed decent, if a little harried, and Levi knew it was no easy feat to keep a base like this running as well as it did.  
  
It was close to lunch when they finally came for him, two of the three figures who had greeted him on his first day. Levi was tempted to say they were some kind of robot, but he knew better. These were human, through and through, just fed on public relations and the customer is always right.  
  
“Mr Ackerman,” one of them said, and Levi fought not to roll his eyes. “It’s time for your appointment. If you’ll come with us?”  
  
Levi didn’t reply, just followed wordlessly. He felt strangely calm, as if this was right. He felt comfortable, despite the pale grey uniform he was wearing, a matching trouser and shirt set with black shoes and shiny buttons. He felt as if his life was heading in the right direction, though that was impossible. They’d assured him the process was safe, but Levi could die during it. There was no way a process like remembering a past life would go without that risk, no matter what the scientists claimed.  
  
At some point Hanji joined them, walking steadily at Levi’s side. He felt exposed still, as if there should be more than just Hanji with him here, but he couldn’t properly place the feeling and so let it drop. He wasn’t nervous, not really. There wasn’t anything to be nervous about, in all truth. Either he’d go in and remember or not. It was simple.

Levi looked at Hanji, and there was something in their eyes that made Levi reconsider how simple it really was going to be. He wanted to say something, wanted Hanji to tell him he was going to be okay (and how ridiculous was that, Levi had lived on Underground for fuck’s sake). If this really was going to work, Levi would come out a completely different person, and he had so many more questions he wanted to ask Hanji, just in case.  
  
“Here we are, Mr Ackerman,” one of the guides said, patting his shoulder. Time was up, and Levi had to face his future now. They let him step past, the other guide holding the door they’d come to open. “Our doctor will be here shortly, they’re just making sure everything is in order.”  
  
Levi nodded, pressing his lips together. The guides hovered by the door, blinking as Hanji strolled past them, leaning their arm on Levi’s shoulder as they stood at his side.  
  
“Ah, it feels so nostalgic,” they commented, and Levi snorted in amusement.  
  
“Let’s just hope I remember you,” Levi said, nerves coiling in his stomach as he saw a figure step closer, a tray in their hands.  
  
“Levi,” Hanji said, and they let their arm slide from Levi’s shoulders, squeezing gently before letting go entirely. “Good luck.”  
  
Levi nodded as Hanji stepped back. Their gaze was firm, and any lingering doubt Levi had about this procedure was burnt away by the ferocity in their look. There was something he had to do. Levi had always felt it, always been aware of the fact that he felt there was something more – something missing – to his life. He’d thought it was just part of who he was, someone who was destined always to search for something unobtainable. Hanji’s firm words and the look in their eyes made Levi wonder if they had known each other in another lifetime. Why else did they stir an odd emotion in his chest, as if it was the beginning of something great?  
  
If Hanji had known him then, he wanted to know them now. He wanted to know what made Hanji look at him with such emotion, and why their voice could show so much pain and happiness at the same time. Their past life had to have been terrible, but there was a beauty there still.  
  
He wanted to know if there was one name he’d recommend, one person he could remember above all others. He wanted to know if there was someone he loved more than anything, the way Hanji had. They’d spoken of their person, someone who had died for them and someone they missed like a piece of themselves. Levi loved his mother, Isabel and Farlan, but being away from them didn’t feel as if he was missing part of himself. He’d always been missing that part, and there hadn’t been anyone who had filled that. There had never been anyone for Levi, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anyone ever for him, right?  
  
The doctor began talking about side effects and what Levi should expect, but he wasn’t listening. He wasn’t here by full choice -  whatever happened, happened. He’d deal with it there and then. He nodded along and said yes in the right places, and then the doctor was there with a syringe, fingers pressing against Levi’s bicep, moving down down down and then-  
  
It didn’t hurt, was Levi’s first thought. There was an odd numbing sensation in Levi’s arm, and then nothing. He was about to tell the doctor he’d fucked up, mouth open and eyes ready to roll, when everything shifted, as if someone had hit him lightly on the head.  
  
Titans were the first thing Levi remembered, and he felt fear crawl through him. His hands gripped the handle of the chair he sat on, shaking his head as he saw so much blood and fear and- oh god Isabel, Farlan, his mother, nameless faces that blurred past. Levi’s eyes clouded with tears as he saw person after person fall, titans towering above them all.  
  
The world changed, still to titans, but these were different. They were coordinated, individuals with minds. Individuals with humans inside – shifters. The word was dirty in Levi’s mind, and he gasped for breath as he remembered the enemy, the Beast titan and the Armoured titan and the Colossal and-  
  
“Levi,” he heard, and the overwhelming panic faded to the calm of a soft breeze. There was a soft touch on his shoulder, the sound of someone kneeling in a puddle, the scent of something indescribable, the flash of a smile so pure and yet hidden and-  
  
“Erwin,” Levi breathed, the entirety of his past life flowing into him calmly, focusing on the image of Erwin offering his loyalty to Levi, his final smile and his relief. He was unburdened and free in Levi’s head, so calm, that when the final memories began to flow into Levi, he was unprepared.  
  
Raw grief and exhaustion hit Levi like an iron ball to the stomach. He felt anger and bitterness curl inside of him as he made his choice, and then it all faded to quiet static as he let Erwin go.  
  
Levi opened his eyes, unsure of when he’d closed them. The room was still, medical kit packed away. The doctor was busy with a book, an old paperback that looked about right for its age, dog-eared and falling apart. They looked up when Levi groaned, head pounding.  
  
“You’ve been unconscious for a few hours, so take it gently,” the doctor warned, fetching water for Levi. He sipped it slowly, grateful. “I’m surprised it’s only taken you a few hours, actually. You might even catch dinner; a lot of people miss breakfast the next day too!”  
  
Levi gave a tight smile, not really meaning it, mind lost in the memories of this world and how that changed everything here. His mother – his mother! – was here, alive and well. Isabel and Farlan too, they were safe and happy, and Levi was far away from them. He wouldn’t fuck things up for them this time, wouldn’t lead them on a death mission.  
  
And of course there was Erwin. How on earth had Levi forgotten him? Even with no knowledge of a past life, Levi didn’t understand how he possibly could have forgotten Erwin.  
  
Hanji.  
  
“Can my friend come back in?” Levi asked, voice weaker than he would have liked. He was still raw from the shock of losing so many and still had so much more to process. Perhaps mercifully, he had no idea how he’d died himself, and he hoped that was one memory that would never surface. If he’d been feeling anything close to how he had when he’d let Erwin pass then Levi didn’t think he’d made it very far in that life.  
  
“You can go,” the doctor said, passing over an envelope with a nod. “Just fill that out and get it back to me within 24 hours, and you’re free.”  
  
It was easy, but then hadn’t this all been easy? Levi was suspicious, though there was no indication anything was amiss here. The organisation benefitted in their research, and the people experimented on got to make up for their past regrets.  
  
Levi swallowed thickly, taking the envelope in steady hands and leaving quickly. Predictably, Hanji was waiting for him, slumped against the wall and jamming keys on a handset. Probably some odd game they were playing, and Levi stood above them for a moment, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
“Oh!” Hanji said when they realised Levi was there, hauling themselves up. “How did it go?”  
  
Instead of answering, Levi did something he should have done a lifetime ago. He pulled Hanji close, wrapping his arms tightly around them and squeezing. There was a terrifying pause, and then Hanji was hugging him too, burying their head against Levi’s. It was gross – the Hanji here still forgot to bathe most days – but Hanji was _here._ It had been the two of them then and it was the two of them now, and there was so much pain and grief Levi wanted to get through with them.  
  
“Levi!” they said excitedly, pulling back with a grin.  
  
“I remember it all,” he said, and Hanji shifted their glasses up, dabbing at their eyes.  “I remember the titans and you and…” he trailed off, and Hanji looked at him softly.  
  
“You can say his name,” they said gently, and Levi took Hanji’s hand, squeezing it tightly even as he pulled otherwise away.  
  
“And Erwin,” Levi added, heart thudding heavily in his chest. “I remember Erwin.”  
  
Now he just had to find him, and things would be okay. This was Levi’s chance to make things right, so that was what he was going to do.  
  
He looked at Hanji, and they looked back. Levi wondered if the look on their face was the same as the one he currently wore, and he bowed his head.  
  
“We’ll find them, you know,” Hanji promised, and Levi let the hope in his chest flutter weakly. “Our assignment starts in a few days. We’re being shipped to the centre of the universe, did you know?”  
  
Levi shook his head. No one had talked to him about what work he’d be going into yet, waiting to see if the memories came through first. There was no point taking up a job for a skill that you learnt in a past life only to forget it all. Levi wasn’t sure what skills were applicable for him or Hanji though, and he asked softly, still reeling from the onslaught of memories.  
  
“Didn’t you know?” Hanji said with a smirk, twirling around as they lifted Levi’s hand up. “It’s not humanity we’re saving anymore,” they said, and Levi could hear the blood pounding in his ears, fear and excitement rolling through him like waves on a beach.  
  
“We’re going to save the universe,” Hanji said.  
  
Levi wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry. 


	2. Chapter 2

For twenty minutes, Levi refused to talk to Hanji. They kept their smile up, keeping stride with Levi as he made his way back to his room, and they came in when he opened the door, lips pressed together. Hanji didn’t say anything, didn’t even try to approach the silence, and Levi eventually sighed, shaking his head.

“What the fuck do you mean we’re saving the universe?” he demanded, throwing the forms he had to fill in on the bed. Levi was furious, the hopelessness of their past life draining from him as he wondered why that hadn’t been enough.

“I mean we’re going on a classified mission to save the universe,” Hanji said simply, sitting down on the floor and leaning their back against the door. “That’s all I know – we need to be transferred to the central base of our operation. Technically I was supposed to go there rather than here, but the commander was happy to let me make a stop over to collect you. And anyone else who woke from our past life,” they added in afterthought, but Levi barely registered it, fixed on something else entirely.

“Erwin?” he breathed, hope fluttering in his chest. Surely it couldn’t be that simple, that Erwin was only a few days away and-

Hanji shook their head, and while Levi had told himself to expect it, it felt like a physical blow.

“You’re the only one I’ve found. I’ve tried looking for the others, but I either don’t have the clearance to track them down or they’re not on the database.” Hanji worried their lip between their teeth, leaning forward until their chest hit their crossed legs. “I don’t even know who put my name forward. I don’t know if it was someone random who happened to remember me or if I actually knew them.”

Levi looked down, sitting heavily on the bed. That was true – anyone could have recommended them. Everyone knew Hanji’s name, and most of the others’ too. Maybe it was Kenny who had been behind Lovof’s manipulations, or maybe this was just a strange twist of fate. Whatever the truth behind his arrival here, Levi doubted he’d uncover the truth. That wasn’t what he was here for.

“The universe then,” he said instead, and Hanji hummed.

“Back when I was in research,” they began, sitting up and stretching their arms out. They were less muscular than in their previous life, and no doubt Levi was too, and they had less scars, but the rest of Hanji was much unchanged. Even down to the fucking ridiculous goggle-glasses. “I sat in on a meeting where they discussed skill sets. They didn’t say much, confidentiality and all, but apparently our past life makes us more than qualified to deal with the threat.”

Levi raised an eyebrow.

“There are titans in cold space?” he couldn’t help but say, and Hanji snorted, lowering their arms and patting their thighs.

“Not that I know of,” they said, shrugging. “But who knows. The universe is a big place, maybe there’s a cluster of them,” they said, and Levi noticed the lack of excitement instantly. He didn’t need to mention it, for Hanji glanced his way, offering a small smile.

“I spent a lifetime on the titans,” they said, voice clouded. “I – we – lost so many people to them. There’s so much more in this life too, so many  _ good  _ things I can research. I’m not saying I won’t be excited if they are our enemy again, for they were fascinating, and there were still so many things we never found out, but…” they trailed off, and Levi understood perfectly.

They’d devoted an entire life to the titans. They’d fought and fought and suffered and died for that world. They hadn’t started this life the same people, and while inevitably they were, they had an entire universe now, not just three walls.

“If it is titans, they’ve got to be uglier,” Levi commented, and Hanji’s face relaxed, a smile crossing their face.

“Maybe they’ve finally grown genitals,” they joked, and Levi pulled a face. His shoulders relaxed somehow, and he let out a huff of laughter.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said quietly, and could feel Hanji’s curious stare on him as he avoided looking at them. “After all that shit, with the rooftop and shifters and the beast titan and…” Levi trailed off, words seeping out of him. He didn’t need to say anything, not really. Hanji had been there at the end, just the two of them as the world had collapsed around them.

“We’re here,” Hanji said simply. “We’ll find the others too,” Hanji continued, and Levi let himself slide back onto the bed, hand covering his eyes as he felt tears well up. It was almost too much, remembering all they’d lost and the tiny scrap they’d gained.

It hadn’t been worth it, in the end, not when it was just the two of them and empty space around them. They’d carried the weight of their loved ones, and it had been too much. There hadn’t been happiness in that life, and Levi just hoped something better was waiting for them.

“Oh Levi,” Hanji said, and Levi drew his hand back, Hanji towering over him. They fell on the bed beside him, shoving him over due to space, and Levi shifted onto his side, tucking up against them. Hanji was still an awful bather and smelt like the strange green stuff served in the canteen at lunch, but Levi could let it slide this once.

It was a strange thing, Levi thought as Hanji tucked them in the best they could, muttering about the air filtration being on a timed cycle and other things Levi tuned out, enjoying their voice rather than the words. It was a strange thing that he felt very little difference in himself since remembering. The Levi he had been, for all the difference in their experiences and choices, was still him. The memories he had of that time and this time didn’t mingle – there was a clear, progressive structure. Child, adolescent, adult, death, child, adolescent, adult. None of it overlapped or felt out of place, and perhaps he’d end up asking Hanji why none of this was weirder than it was.

Or maybe he’d just enjoy it for what it was. That was what normal people did, right?

.

Three days later saw Levi, Hanji and two other recruits on the flight deck, the same one Levi had arrived on. It had been a flurry of activity the past few days, of Levi being checked over and deemed fit for purpose. He’d done his paperwork, leaving the recommended for testing section blank, and this base had given him everything it could. It was time to move on.

“Right then,” one of the base managers said, pacing before them. There was a small craft behind them, one that was to be their transport to wherever the hell they were going. “Your flight will take about an hour. Good luck.”

And that was it. Levi wanted there to be more, to be something more significant to leaving this place, but there was nothing. Hanji had said it perfectly the day they’d found out their transfer had been moved up; they were just two of hundreds of individuals who passed through this base in a month. They weren’t special to the management, just two more individuals to collect data from and sort into suitable careers.

It wasn’t until they were seated in the ship, on two padded benches lining the walls, Hanji and Levi on one side, the others on the other, that they thought to actually communicate with the strangers. Or at least Hanji did.

“Shall we introduce ourselves?” Hanji asked, and the kid (who looked like he could be 12, though was probably a lot closer to 20) flushed slightly.

“I know who you are, Hanji, Levi,” they said respectfully. “My name is Mathius Kramer, he/him, and I was a merchant back then,” Mathius said, giving a shy smile.

A merchant? Levi supposed they needed people to sort out the logistics of whatever operation they were going to, but a merchant? Oh well, it took all sorts.

“I didn’t see the end of the war,” Mathius said regretfully, the person at his side shaking their head slowly in agreement.

“Neither did I,” they said, and Levi had to look away, chest tightening. He supposed he should get used to this; thousands of people had died before he’d even been born, thousands who had never even seen Wall Maria fall.

“I’m Ilse Langnar, she/her,” Ilse introduced, and Levi’s eyebrows shot up. Hanji let out a noise of amazement, and the ship shuddered into action.

“Ilse Langnar!” Hanji said, delight curling in their smile. “Ilse Langnar!” They laughed, a sound that echoed throughout the ship, and Ilse looked at them, brow furrowed.

“We found your notebook,” Levi clarified, and it was Ilse’s turn to look shocked. The shock passed, and something hopeful spread across her face. She leant forwards, Marius following with interest too.

“You were the Scouting Legion?” she asked, and Levi nodded curtly.

“Levi was humanity’s strongest solider while Hanji-san was their brightest scientist,” Marius piped up, “under the 13 th Commander.”

Ilse let out a breath, smiling as her eyes darted between Hanji and Levi.

“I must have just missed you,” she said faintly, and Levi nodded.

“By about a year. Your information helped us greatly,” Levi said, and he paused as he heard a slight noise from Hanji, something small that began to grow, and Levi rolled his eyes.

“Ilse Langnar!” Hanji shouted, and Mathius jumped an inch up out of his seat. “I always wanted to meet you, to thank you and to…”

Levi tuned the conversation out swiftly, knowing Hanji was about to explain everything they had discovered and thank Ilse again and again. Hanji would probably let her know they’d found Ymir too, and Levi resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. Past lives were fucking ridiculous.

He didn’t notice at first, but the conversation around him drew to silence. After almost a minute of the silence, Levi opened his eyes, not bothering to fake sleep anymore. The atmosphere was sombre, and he wondered what they’d been discussing.

“So you got to see it then,” Ilse said quietly, hands shaking as she gripped her seatbelt. “You got to see the end?”

“Close enough,” Hanji said, defeated.

There had been nothing wonderful about the end of their lives. Too many people had died for Levi and Hanji to enjoy what they’d been given, and they’d both tried in their last moments, they really had. In the end, it hadn’t been enough, and Levi’s mind had been miles away on a rooftop with the corpse of the man he loved.

Levi crossed his arms over his chest.

“We have this life now,” he said bluntly, and Ilse physically jerked, as if she’d forgotten he was there. “We can make up for the time taken from us.”

“And the happiness,” Hanji said, patting their hand against Levi’s shoulder.

Their words seemed to do the trick, and the conversation turned towards this life. It turned out that Mathius was a merchant in this life, of sorts, and was an expert in acquiring provisions. He’d been given the option to go back to his home life, transfer to a suitable project or join this one, something Levi learnt all of them had the option of, including himself.

“I have a model I think would help finance issues,” Mathius said excitedly, looking as if he was ready to pull a balance book out of his pocket and show them all. “The commander let me have a scan of some of their finances, and I know we can cut costs on a lot already,” he continued, and Levi tuned back out.

Part of him felt guilty for leaving his mother, Isabel, and Farlan now. He could have gone back if he’d wanted to. Lovof had only needed him to undergo the treatment, according to the management back at base, and even then they’d made it clear that he couldn’t be  _ forced _ to take the injection. Levi had, because he’d agreed to do it and it was important in case Lovof went back on his word, but in theory, after that he could have gone back.

Or he could at least have summoned Isabel and Farlan (and his mother if he’d desired) to base in order to take the injection themselves. Hanji had even asked him, gently in the dark on the first night.

“Are you not going to write any names?” they’d asked, and Levi had shaken his head.

“They don’t need to know what happened. They’re happy in this life. There was nothing they haven’t got here for them back there, not like it was for us.” Levi had shuddered, remembering watching as they’d both died. There had been nothing but misery in that life for Isabel and Farlan, there was no way he was going to put them through that.

And his mother… well. It went without saying that Levi never wanted her to know what she’d had to go through before. She was safe now, happy and healthy, and Levi wouldn’t give her reason to remember a life of darkness and endless, horrible men.

The ship shuddered slightly, and Levi was alert instantly. This world might not seem to have any titans, but instincts were instincts. Levi noticed the others were on edge too, and the hiss of hydraulics that came a second later sent Ilse into a rough laugh.

“Old habits die hard then,” she commented, undoing her seatbelt as the door lowered.

They’d arrived, and from the moment the door opened, Levi knew this was a completely different base to the one they’d left.

People were all over the flight deck, some stationary but most moving, carrying supplies and other stuff Levi had no idea about. Some seemed to be reciting something, and he looked at the others, wondering who was going to be the one to head into the chaos first.

Hanji it was then, as they leapt from their seat and into the bright hangar. Levi followed, and then the others, warily assessing their new environment. It was clean at least, even if it seemed to be the busiest place in the fucking universe.

“Ah!” someone said, running forwards as if their arrival had been unexpected. It took a moment to place the face, and Levi blinked as brown hair curled around the bottom of a soft jaw, dark eyes gleaming as Petra Ral waved cheerfully.

Levi’s stomach twisted, and his step faltered. He stood still as the other three walked forwards, eyes steely as he watched Hanji hug Petra, performing the introductions to the others. No one made a move to bring him over, something Levi was glad for. He didn’t know if he was ready to face Petra, not when all he could see was her lifeless body slumped against a tree.

“I promise we’ll catch up later,” Hanji said, and the group quietened, making space for Levi. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to walk forwards, meeting no one’s eyes.

“Captain,” Petra said gently, pausing as if to reconsider her words. “I mean Levi; you’re not a captain here are you? At least not yet, though I don’t even know if they have captains here or what the rank system is like, even if there is one? Oh I’m rambling now and-“

Levi moved forwards when he saw the crumpled look on Petra’s face. It was an automatic move, and her threw his arms around her without thinking, blinking as she hugged back. He’d never been comfortable with physical affection with most people, but his last memories of Petra hounded him. He needed to know she was okay, that despite the shit they’d gone through that she was here.

“Oh,” Petra breathed, and she seemed to relax as she tightened her hold on him. “I thought you’d hate me,” she admitted, and Levi felt something terrible and cold spike through him.

“Hate you?” he said quickly, pulling back and letting his arms fall to his side. He glanced at Hanji, but they looked just as confused as Levi felt.

Petra looked down, shrugging.

“We failed, didn’t we? All of us and-“ She bit her lip, tucking hair behind her ear as she looked up nervously. “We failed you.”

“No,” Levi said, the word falling from him harshly. “No, you never failed me. Not once.”

Petra looked as if she was about to cry, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself.

“Later,” she promised, nodding to Hanji. “I’d like to know everything.”

Hanji nodded, and Levi felt part of himself close off until later. Nothing else in the room had changed, there were still plenty of people rushing around, and someone waiting for them at the end of the pathway they were on, lighting strips marking it as a walkway.

“The Commander is waiting,” Petra explained, and while Levi knew the figure at the end wasn’t Erwin, he couldn’t help the ball of nerves that shifted at the word commander. Hanji bumped his shoulder as they moved towards the end, and Levi sighed as the man’s face became clear.

“Welcome to our base camp,” Nile-fucking-Dok said, looking a lot better than he ever had in their past life. He still had that shitty moustache though, and his uniform wasn’t pressed neatly, the dark breeches and muscle top fine, but the white jacket on top looked shabby.

“Huh,” Levi said simply, not wanting to acknowledge he was actually glad to see Nile.

“It’s good to see you,” Nile said, and Levi gave him a tiny, almost not there smile, glancing at Petra furiously when she let out a small giggle.

“Mathius will accompany Hanz to your division, and Ilse will be heading to the research quarters,” Nile said, looking down at a tablet he’d had tucked under his arm, checking off assignments, handing Mathius and Ilse off each to one of the people slightly behind him. “There you’ll go through orientation and be given your schedule.”

He looked up, scrutinising Hanji and Levi.

“Erwin,” he said suddenly, looking behind them to the ship, as if he expected Erwin to have been hiding in there all along. “I’m surprised he’s not here.”

Levi didn’t know how to respond to that. Hanji didn’t seem to either, but they made an attempt while Levi just watched.

“When someone’s completely untraceable, it’s not unexpected he’s not here,” Hanji said, placing a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “We’d hoped he’d be here,” they added, and Nile sighed, shoulders slumping, as if he’d been placing every hope he had that Levi and Hanji wouldn’t be here without him, despite all his lists and schedules that said otherwise.

“If there was anyone he’d show himself to, it would have been one of you two,” Nile said gently, then reconsidered. “Or Mike, but I haven’t found Mike either, and he should have been easier to find considering his surname is uncommon, at least in comparison to Smith.”

A conspiracy? Levi wondered. Or perhaps Erwin and Mike didn’t want to be found, though that was a horrifying thought, a secret spike that buried itself away in Levi’s gut.

“It doesn’t matter,” Nile said quickly. “We’re on a recruitment drive, they’ll get here when they get here.”

Levi supposed it was meant to be reassuring. It was anything but that, and he followed Nile dejectedly to an area he called the Paperwork Section, sounding as excited as he looked (not at all) as he ushered Levi, Hanji, and Petra into his office.

“Everyone else is going to be told this information tomorrow. You’re going to hear it now. There’s no point in hanging around, you guys will be out leading your first missions within two weeks.” Nile looked tired, but it wasn’t the kind of tired that had been behind the walls. “Please sit down.”

There were four seats before his desk, and Levi took the one on the end, beside Petra. She gave him a small smile, and then Nile was off again, all business.

“You’ll each be briefly assessed, but Levi and Hanji in particular I want leading teams. Petra, it depends on you. I’ve had a report that the remainder of your old team will be coming in tomorrow, as well as some of those brats you trained before,” Nile commented casually, his last words directed at Levi.

“We’re having to scrape the barrel here, get everyone sent to us in record time and rely on their memory rather than training in this life. It’s going to be a bitch, but the field team say we can’t wait any longer. This has to be done now.” Nile sighed, and Levi wondered if he had been pumped full of air before they’d arrived.

“It might help if you told us what we were facing,” Levi commented bluntly, and Nile looked up, eyes wide.

“They didn’t hand out mission briefs before you got here?” His expression darkened. “I thought I made it clear and-“ He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then set his hands on the table.

“Space rats,” Petra supplied brightly, showing she’d clearly been briefed before them, and was probably just here for support, which was a nice thing really. Levi looked at her slowly, not quite sure he’d heard right.

“Space rats,” he repeated, and Levi felt that Petra’s answering nod was absolutely ridiculous.

“Rats in space,” Nile piped up, and Levi felt a headache coming on.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he muttered, and sat with his arms crossed as Nile (and Petra) began to explain that no, absolutely no one was kidding him.

So here Levi was. On a mission to save the universe. From rats.

Un-fucking-believable.

.

Of course the problem was more complex than just rats, and Levi excused himself from dinner to head back to his room. He’d agreed to meet Hanji and Petra in Hanji’s room (three sections over, but it was closer than Petra’s) in an hour to discuss their past lives, but he wanted to process everything Nile had said by himself, something he hadn’t had a chance to do over mashed space veg and beans.

His room was standard, almost identical to the one Levi had had before at the other base. His belongings were at the foot of his bed, wardrobe and drawers full of regulation uniform, neatly pressed, just the way Levi liked it. He wasn’t a fan of the white jackets, so similar to their old uniform yet a ridiculous colour, but he had no choice in the matter. His sleeves were striped, marking him already as a captain, and Levi wondered if Nile had sent a team to prepare this room just for Levi.

He snorted at the thought, kicking off his boots and setting them by the door. He rolled onto the bed, looking up at the pale cream ceiling, wriggling until his head settled on the pillow.

The universe’s problem was, put simply, an invasive species of rat,  _ Rattus titanus. _ It wasn’t native to their universe, the field team apparently traced it to a black-hole-black-market-poaching gang who had imported the rats first as a delicacy. When the meat had proved too expensive to maintain – these rats literally ate through entire planets whenever they could – they were let loose. And they bred. And they bred. And they bred. And, well, they were incredibly successful in a universe where they had no natural predators.

They were also massive. Nile had brought out photos of them, huge bulky things with bald patches and misshapen snouts. They looked more like mutated rats that had been allowed to grow to at least the size of horses, with teeth that lived up to the job of crunching on planets.

So far their universe had lost three planets to them and had teams placed on fifteen more planets trying to keep the population down. Nineteen more planets were on amber alert with breeding populations colonising them, and three hundred more had confirmed reports of at least one rat sighting, which probably meant they were on the amber alert list too. There just wasn’t enough manpower to be sure. There was no current technology that could search for the rats either, unless they put out millions of cameras and tracked the footage, an impossible and expensive feat.

Steadily, these rats were chewing their way through the universe, and if they weren’t stopped, there wouldn’t be anything left. Already figures had come in that at least 500 native species had had to be evacuated from their planets and set up in breeding centres elsewhere – incubation planets Nile had said – and so many had been lost to the destruction the rats had caused. Not to mention what would happen when humans and higher intelligence alien species began encroaching on land the rats were colonising.

In short, it was a nightmare, and the only way to solve this was to kill every last rat they could.

Levi rubbed his eyes. Nile’s plan had been sketchy at best, but he’d promised they’d have something better after the field team analysed how they did, whatever that meant. Essentially they were going to head out in teams to various planets, confirm possible sightings, try to trap a rat each, and then rendezvous back here, preferably with trapped or dead rats.

It was glorified pest control, Levi had murmured in Nile’s office, and no one had disagreed with him. It was pest control, but for a good reason. They were well and truly fucked if the rats weren’t eradicated, and while it wasn’t the rat’s fault – they were just doing what they knew to do; after all, they hadn’t asked to be brought to this universe – they had to be stopped.

Nile had assured him it wouldn’t be like their past lives. No one had died in the duty of eradicating the rats, and the only casualties had ever occurred on the elusive and exclusive field team, who Nile had been quick to point out dealt primarily with the poachers who had brought the rats here in the first place, and most of them were locked up in prison in the centre of the universe.

Levi groaned, rolling off of the bed and standing up. Tomorrow he was going to train with a bunch of people he maybe knew, then get dumped with some people he definitely did know, and then lead them out to stamp out rats.

It was still better than the titans, though. So much better. Levi would take these rats and eradicate them, then he’d go back to his mother and take them her on an extended holiday. Isabel and Farlan could come too, and perhaps he’d introduce them all to Hanji and some others and-

Erwin.

Levi’s breath hitched as he stood up, and he froze. He had managed to put Erwin from his mind with the talk of rats and business, but now it hit him at full force. He took a shaky breath in, taking a step forwards to steady himself.

Where was Erwin? Was he even in this universe? Did he even exist in this life? Levi had never even thought about that, so what if fate decided that Erwin didn’t get another chance?

Levi moved to the bathroom, splashing his face with cold water. He avoided the mirror, not wanting to see what expression he was pulling, and dried his face slowly, mind still full of Erwin.

Maybe he was just late. Maybe Erwin would pop up over the next few days, bright faced and ready to take on the world once again. Maybe everything would be alright, and he’d scoop Levi up when they were reunited and kiss him and everything would be good again.

Levi’s stomach churned. What if Erwin didn’t remember, and no one could find him to let him know? What if he did remember and had walked away, back to whatever life he’d made for himself here? What if Levi never saw Erwin again?

Shaking his head, Levi bolted from his room and headed towards Hanji’s quarters. He was going to be early, but it was better than thinking about Erwin. Hanji could distract him, and he needed that right now.

Petra was pacing outside the door, and she looked up guiltily when Levi approached, offering him a small smile.

“I didn’t want to be alone with my mind,” she admitted, and Levi relaxed a little. “I thought I was doing okay, but when I saw you two I realised I was just ignoring processing everything.” Petra let out a small laugh, shaking her head.

At least Levi wasn’t alone.

Hanji opened the door quickly when Petra knocked, grinning as they welcomed them in. They gave them a tour of the place, as if their own rooms weren’t exactly the same, before sprawling out on the floor, gesturing for Levi and Petra to take their own places. Petra took the space beside Hanji, back against the side of the bed, while Levi sat next to the door, back against the wall.

“So,” Petra said softly, clearing her throat. “The female titan killed me.”

She said it so simply, as if she was discussing the weather, and Levi couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped him. Petra grabbed Hanji’s pillow and threw it at him, hitting the wall to the side.

“She did,” Hanji said, amusement clear in their voice. “Erwin managed to devise a plan with Armin – Arlet? Eren’s blond friend? – to catch the traitor and… well.”

Levi sighed, realising just how much Petra didn’t know. It wasn’t particularly something he wanted to remember in detail, but this would no doubt be one of many times he explained how things had gone after someone had left them.

“I remember Armin,” Petra said gently. “Intelligent, kept to himself and his friends, adorably shy,” she said, her mouth twisting into something sad.

“The titan shifters were people,” Levi said, though it didn’t sit right. “All titans were people,” he amended, and Petra’s eyes widened impossibly. She shook her head, lip curling, and looked between Levi and Hanji.

“We overthrew the king, you know,” Hanji said mischievously, as if it had been a playground game to kids. Petra’s jaw loosened, and her eyes focused on Levi.

“You overthrew the king,” she said, almost disbelieving. Levi just shrugged. In the grand scheme of things, it hadn’t been the wildest thing they’d done.

“Historia was the rightful queen, and Erwin decided to take a gamble,” Levi said, trying to play it casual, as if he hadn’t thrown his lot in with Erwin’s every decision. “The tiny blonde girl, 104 th ?”

Petra’s eyebrows shot up.

“She was the queen?” She laughed, burying her face in her hands. “Everything went to shit after we died, didn’t it,” Petra commented, and whether she was serious or not, Levi couldn’t tell. It was true, though he supposed the path to hell had started many years back before that.

“Out of the veterans,” Petra said, voice low as if she was afraid to ask. “Who… what…”

She wanted to know what had happened to them all, and Levi shook his head when Hanji looked at him. As Petra’s former captain, it was his duty to tell her. He owed her that much.

“All our team except Eren died against the female titan,” he said, voice controlled and tight. The sad look on Petra’s face told him that she’d suspected as much, and Levi sighed. “Mike and Nanaba were next. I don’t… we weren’t with them in the end.”

Levi drew his legs up to his chest, pressing his lips tightly together. He didn’t want to say the next name, wanted it desperately to be someone else, but there was no other option. Hanji remained silent, and Levi could feel their eyes on him, ready to talk about it should Levi need them to step in.

“We were on the final push to the basement,” Levi said slowly, the words thick in his mouth. He’d been trying not to think about this the entire time he’d started remembering, but here he was. Back at square one, picturing Erwin’s cooling body as the life blinked out because Levi couldn’t bear him to suffer anymore.

“I was facing the beast titan, Hanji was with a group, and Erwin was leading the…” Levi cut himself off, gritting his jaw as he felt the sting of tears. He remembered soaring, the beast titan in sight, Erwin below him as he led their soldiers, charisma dripping from him, as if even the devil himself wouldn’t be able to kill him there and then.

It hadn’t been the devil in the end though had it?

“Moblit saved me, pushed me out of the way and died,” Hanji said bleakly, and Levi let his knees fall slightly. Of course, he thought, he wasn’t the only one who had lost someone precious in those moments. “There was nothing we could do,” Hanji said firmly, fixing Levi with a steely stare, trying to tell him it hadn’t been his fault.

Levi snorted and closed his eyes, resting his forehead on his knees.

“I was the one who made the choice Hanji,” he said, and Levi was tired. He was tired of having a past life, of having hell hanging around his neck. He was someone different now, someone better, but here he was, saddled with all the shit from that world too.

Where the fuck was Erwin. Where the fuck was Moblit and Nanaba and Mike. Where were they?

“What choice?” Petra asked gently, and Levi was glad for the question. It made it easier to speak, and the words flowed from his quickly, before he had time to regret them.

“Instead of letting him turn into a monster, a shifter, I let Erwin die,” Levi said, and he looked up in time just to see Petra’s expression break, her eyes welling with tears.

“Levi,” Hanji said, voice tired, but they said nothing more, running a hand through their hair, pulling strands out of the messy bun.

“What a fucked up life,” Petra said, and Levi looked at her curiously, his sorrow dimming as he realised it was the first time he’d ever heard her swear.

She’d collected herself, and tilted her chin slightly, hands smoothing over the fabric of her uniform trousers. She looked them both in the eye, offering a small smile.

“We’re going to find them all,” she promised, nodding as she met both Levi and Hanji’s eyes. “That life isn’t the one we have now. We’re going to be happy here, okay?”

Petra smiled, and Levi felt something loosen in his chest. She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears and launching into a story of her childhood, and of what she would do when she saw those they had lost, drawing laughter out of all of them and ebbing away the loss story by story.

Maybe she was right. Maybe they were going to find those they were missing. There had to be a reason they were allowed to remember, not just so they could go off and save the universe from gargantuan, ugly rats.

Maybe this life was to make up for the shit they’d been given before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of the issues raised here will be relevant to current life, so I hope I can teach you something about conservation that you might not have known before. If you have any questions feel free to ask :D It's not all breeding fluffy panda cubs and taking cute photos unfortunately!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please note that there is mention of animal violence and animal death in line with conservation work. It's not overly graphic, definitely not moreso than the series anyway, and the death is for conservation and the animal's own benefit.

Making sure his white jacket was creaseless, Levi closed his room door and marched down the hallway. His uniform was pristine, black without any marks, and knee-high boots shined impeccably. Apart from the colours, this uniform was remarkably like the uniform of their past lives, and Levi wondered whether they had been designed before past lives had been remembered or someone was just being nostalgic.

At least the gear had changed. Levi didn’t miss sore strips of skin that blistered after particularly harsh missions. Now they had a harness and a backpack, everything padded and durable. It was designed to attach to the ship in order for someone to fly through space with adapted, tiny machines at their hips and stay anchored. Levi loved technological advances.

A few people he passed saluted, the old hand-over-heart salute. Old habits died hard, and while some people lowered their hands quickly, embarrassment on their cheeks, a lot more simply went with it. It was the unofficial salute, something they’d adopted from the past. It was something to remind them that they had passed the madness of their last life, and that this fight was the one they would endure and survive.

Levi had looked at the list of casualties himself, and there had been a handful of minor accidents – primarily focusing on the field teams—and a larger quantity of idiots doing things wrong. No one had died on this mission, though a few had lost a limb or two against poachers and had retired. Nile had made it adamantly clear that if, for any reason or at any time, someone wanted to leave, they could. Life was more important, he’d said, and there were many more people who could stop the rats.

It was probably the smartest thing that Nile had ever said, and Levi had been slightly impressed. They’d eaten dinner together that evening, Nile enthusiastically telling Levi about his children and wife, babbling away. Levi hadn’t minded, not really, and passed Nile’s tablet around to Petra and Hanji, Petra cooing away at the baby in the photos.

“You know,” Nile had said, taking his tablet from Hanji, ignoring their disappointed look as they’d tried scrolling for incriminating dick pics (he has to have them, Hanji had said later, knowing that while Nile was a perfectly nice guy now, he’d been an annoying shit the life before, and they wanted something on him). “I want you to lead the field operations,” Nile had said to Levi and Hanji, and Levi had noticed Petra sliding away slowly, engrossing herself in a conversation with the person on the other side of her.

It was a heavy request, but Levi could understand it. They were the most experienced officers, the ones who had lived through the most too, and they’d both been training over the past few days and found it remarkably easy. Hanji’s scientific knowledge with Levi’s perseverance and power would be a remarkable leading force, so Levi had really just been waiting for this moment. It made sense logically, but it wasn’t relief or excitement Levi had felt.

Now that he’d been asked, it was different. He’d  felt uncomfortable, he hardly knew the first thing about fighting space rats, and the thought of leading so many people on a mission had sent shivers down his spine. That had always been Erwin’s job, and to lead people without having Erwin’s plans backing him, or at least Erwin assuring him he trusted Levi’s intuition, was wrong.

Still, there was no one else qualified. Hanji hadn’t looked happy at the prospect either, and Levi had frowned, going to speak when Nile continued.

“It’s not like you’ll be our lead conservationist or even the field manager. The field team have sent instructions on what to do to me, I sort the people into the job and pass on instructions. You won’t be on your own, there’s an entire team with years of experience guiding you.” Nile had reached for his drink, taking a noisy sip. “They’re currently dealing with a breeding colony on the other side of the universe, but they’ll be here as soon as they can. Until then, I’d like you to lead the field assistants we have here.”

There had been a pause, and Nile had actually looked sympathetic when he’d glanced at them.

“If you can’t, or don’t want to, do it, I understand. There are many excellent field assistants we can put in charge, but I wanted to offer the position to you two first.” Petra had kept quiet, though Levi could see her smile from the corner of his eye, clearly keeping one ear on the conversation.

“I’ll do it,” Levi had said, knowing it was inevitable. He wanted to lead something good, show everyone that they could fight and live. He owed it to the rest of their – what was the title Nile used? – field assistants, to show them they were part of something great.

“I want to be on all research,” Hanji had stated bluntly, “and I want to see everything the magic field team have on the rats before I do anything else. But sure. If Levi’s in, I am too.”

Since then, Levi had barely seen Hanji. They’d been holed up in research, only darting out for practice sessions with the trapping gear, muttering about potential plans and other things Levi had tried not to listen to. He didn’t need to know breeding cycles or which drug worked better than others – he just needed the end result.

Hanji’s rare appearances left Levi the one in charge of the training sessions, under Nile’s command. Nile was in charge of personnel, the one who made sure things ran smoothly. Practically a glorified HR manager, if you asked Levi, but he seemed to enjoy the work and was, remarkably, good at it. He had training plans ready for Levi, and Levi was able to assimilate to the gear they were using quickly, passing on the knowledge to the new recruits who were rolling in every day. It shouldn’t surprise Levi how good everyone was, but it did. They had experience, but it was just a memory, not something physical, and Levi had to force himself to re-evaluate that thought every training session.

In the past week or so, Levi had met so many new and old faces. His old squad, the remainder of Petra’s squad, had arrived, and Levi’s emotions had been sprawled out again, images of them dead on the forest floor blinding him for a moment.

Eld had patted Levi’s shoulder, offering a smile, and Levi knew then that none of them blamed him. It had been strange to be absolved (as much as he could be) of the sins of his past life, but Levi recognised it as a turning point. They were in this life now, a clean slate, and he intended to make the most of it and get to know these people for who they were now.

They’d holed up in Hanji’s room drinking and reminiscing (again), and they’d come together closely as a unit. Though Levi had noticed Oluo had drifted towards Petra, the two of them spending a lot of time together, and he’d seen the others notice it too. It brought a smile to Levi’s lips, not that he’d let them know that, and he was glad they were spending time together, regardless of whether it moved past friendship. They made a good pair, and he just hoped they would get their happiness.

Something amazing had happened, a little over a week since Levi had arrived. It was a moment he’d been dreading, and Levi had been in the process of choosing a ship for his team. He’d been debating the pros of something smaller with one of the engineers when a jump ship had arrived, one of the few they had that could do the huge distance from one side of the universe to another in a few simple skips. Levi had never had to do a space jump, and he hoped he never would, judging by the reaction of everyone he saw coming off of jump ships. It wasn’t pleasant.

The world hadn’t shattered when remnants of the 104 th staggered off the ship, space-sick from the jumps. They hadn’t noticed him for a while, and Levi just watched wordlessly as they filed off of this ship, blissfully unaware of who was watching them.

It was a moment Levi had been dreading, and he’d told the engineer he needed to think about the ship, calling Hanji.

“The 104 th are here,” Levi said when they picked up, and their greeting cut short.

“Are you at the hangar?” they’d said, and Levi had murmured a reply. “I’ll be there soon.”

The group were milling about the flight deck, pointing at various nearby ships and waving a few people passing through. A few even stopped to talk to them, but Levi stayed hidden behind the ship he’d been looking at, waiting for Hanji.

Connie and Sasha had been the first to exit, both looking decidedly green and about to hurl. They’d controlled themselves, thankfully, and were now laughing loudly over something, the rest of the group silent. Levi could imagine the calibre of joke that had been said and was glad he wasn’t closer.

Jean and another kid Levi hadn’t recognised had been next, familiar and comfortable around each other, judging by the way Jean kept an arm slung around his shoulders. Someone who had died before they’d made it to the scouting legion then, Levi thought, and wondered how they would affect the dynamic of the team. In the end it wouldn’t matter too much; Levi wasn’t going to directly oversee anyone he didn’t know.

It was the last pair that Levi struggled with. Like the rest of the group, Eren and Mikasa looked a little older than he remembered them as, and they looked a world lighter. They seemed happy, Mikasa happy to take a step back as Eren talked and looked around, and Levi had to adjust his thoughts. Just like him, these weren’t the same people as the life before. They hadn’t done anything to Levi in this life, and everything that had happened before had happened under extreme circumstances. This, as Levi kept reminding himself, was a clean slate.

There was a very noticeable absence, even more notable than the titan shifter kids or Historia. Eren and Mikasa looked smaller without Armin, and he could see them scanning the people around, still keeping hold of their conversations while they looked for missing parts of their lives.

Everyone coming off of the ships did it. It was a natural part of the arrival process, and Levi still scanned the lunch hall for Erwin, just in case. He would bet everything he had that Eren and Mikasa did the same for Armin.

A part of Levi, a dark part that had grown on Underground,found satisfaction in that. It was ironic that Armin wasn’t there, just as Erwin wasn’t, and while Levi felt cruel to think it, he was glad they were missing part of themselves, just as he and Hanji were. He was only human, and if Levi had to suffer, part of him wanted everyone else to suffer too.

Hanji arrived with little grace and a lot of noise, still wearing their lab coat, pockets stuffed with paper notes and electric tablet in one hand, phone in the other. They passed by the main walkway, directly in the line of vision of the 104 th , coming to a grinding halt by Levi, exposing his hiding place.

“I made it!” Hanji said, stuffing their phone and tablet in their pockets and beaming at Levi. “Now where are these brats?” they said fondly, turning on their heel as Levi nodded.

They seemed shocked to see them but smiled all the same, enthusiastic and bright, as Hanji walked up to them, greeting them kindly. Perhaps they’d expected the same relationship they’d all had at the end, bitter and tired of the world, and Levi thought that maybe they’d have to remind themselves just like he did that this was a new slate, a fresh chance. As the spoke, Levi could tell that they were ready for action, ready to save the world, and all except the newcomer (Marco, he was introduced as later) saluted proudly. It was endearing, and Levi smiled genuinely as he welcomed them to the base, glad to see them despite everything.

None of them mentioned Armin. They didn’t mention Erwin. They didn’t mention any of the missing. And that was when Levi realised they were just like him, not daring to speak the names of the missing in case they remained forever lost. It was a feeling many had, and while the Underground part of Levi hated they understood a part of him, he couldn’t deny that they were two thirds of a whole and would undoubtedly understand.

Offering to take them to Nile’s office (and Nile had probably seen Levi was scheduled to meet with the engineer department and had decided Levi could meet the new arrivals before bringing them to his office, the fucker), Levi felt obliged to let Eren and Mikasa know that Armin wasn’t at the base. It wouldn’t stop them looking, but he had to say it all the same.

“He’s not here. Ask the base commander to check the records if you like, perhaps he’ll have a location,” Levi’s first direct words to Eren and Mikasa were cold, clinical, but they absorbed them greedily, nodding and smiling to each other. They wanted their friend back, and Levi could hardly fault them for that. He hoped they had more luck than he did, and dumped them at Nile’s door, promising to catch up with them later that day.

New arrivals slowed down as the days drew on, until there was one ship unloading a day, and then every other. Soon new recruits were turning up in pairs or trios, if at all, and Levi found himself waking each morning with trepidation. Was today the day Erwin arrived? Was today the day Armin arrived? Were they ever going to arrive?

He continued on training, coordinating groups and reading as much as he could on the space rats. Levi flicked through old conservation projects, going over the logistics and costs in various meetings. They had to make this work, and they couldn’t spend millions and millions on it. The rats had to be stopped, and it had to be done quickly and efficiently.

A week before they were due on their first mission, Levi had the field captains come in for a briefing. Hanji sat at his side as he ran over the details of the plan, needing the teams to be perfectly coordinated.

“The mission is to trial various methods of control,” Hanji started, nodding for everyone to look at the booklets they’d been handed. “Method one is the most expensive and probably will be the least effective.”

The first method involved darting the rats from a distance. The drugs in the dart would knock them unconscious, and they’d be able to capture the rat or kill it, depending on what they needed for research. It was expensive, and there was no guarantee the tranquiliser would work, especially on the larger specimens. Still, Hanji wanted to test a range of drugs, and it was a good way to gently eradicate.

“The next method involves setting up traps – we have a few for trial. The field team, and we really need to have a better name for them as we’re all about to be field teams, have run a few trials, none too conclusive however.” Hanji tapped the booklet, where photos of the traps sat. One was glue-based, and that would be a bitch to try and get them to run over, while another looked like a crush cage. Presumably once trapped they would be exterminated, and Levi knew this method would take time and patience. These rats had the entirety of space to crawl around in, after all.

“Direct kills are efficient too, and the gear comes with an electric stunner to deal with that, as well as blades. That doesn’t help us trapping them and bringing them back here for research, however,” Hanji said, turning the page. Everyone else followed suit, and Levi knew it was his time to talk.

“The leading field team have already trialled captures, but the specimens they captured were unsuitable. We’re trying to catch a range of rats, male, female, young, old, big, small… apparently they’re saddled with a colony of young, pregnant females.” There was a titter as Levi rolled his eyes dramatically, and he nodded, pleased to have their attention.

“Everyone is to try and get a rat and bring it back. Research will decide which ones to keep and study, the rest will be put out of their misery.” To stop them, they had to understand them. The leading field team had made that very clear, but they didn’t have the capacity to contain rats and study them. Levi figured that meant they were living on ships stationed out in cold space, chipping away at breeding colonies. So far no one had corrected that theory.

“If you happen to have a chance to exterminate any, you have full permission,” Levi authorised, and nods broke out across the room. “They resist all known rodent poisons and have particularly thick skin. The electric shock will stun them, but to actually kill you’ll have to use your blades.”

It would be nasty work, but necessary.

“If anyone isn’t up to killing these rats, get them off the team. There’s plenty of paperwork that needs doing, and there will be someone to take their place.” Levi drew in a breath, looking out at the group. “These rats need to be exterminated before they wipe out our universe. It’s not their fault, but unless you want to live the last bit of your life in a ship stationed in cold space with nothing else in the universe, we need to exterminate them.”

It wasn’t a nice thing to do, but it was still something they had to do. They’d all done far worse in their past life, and if they could save the universe it would be worth it.

“Let’s go through the strategy,” Levi announced then, drawing attention back to the booklet and where everyone would be heading out. The captains would pass on the mission to their field assistants, and over the course of two days would return, rats in tow.

Despite how simple it was on paper, Levi found himself unable to sleep the night before he set out. He lay in bed, darkness surrounding him, and wondered what he was doing.

It was the right thing, there was no question about that. Someone had fucked up the balance of the universe, and they had to set it right again. Levi believed in the mission, felt passionate about it if he had to be honest, but there was part of him that ached. Instead of chasing rats, it said, he should be trying to find Mike, Nanaba, Moblit, Armin, Erwin – everyone who was missing. He couldn’t save the universe without them, surely, so where were they?

With a grunt, Levi threw the covers off and dressed back into his uniform. There was nothing for him in sleep, and he marched down the corridors until he reached the post room. It was a self-automated room, full of locked pigeon holes with room numbers on. Levi checked his frequently, for his mother liked to send him letters, despite their almost daily emails and phone calls. She was old fashioned, she always said, and Levi appreciated the paper letters greatly.

There was nothing waiting for him except a letter for a club. Someone wanted to start up some gaming club it seemed, and Levi snorted, throwing the paper in the recycling. As if he had time for games.

The post room was stationed beside the entrance to the welcome hangar, and Levi exited to find the flight deck illuminated. He frowned, wondering if some idiot had left the lights on, and blinked as he saw Nile standing on deck, yawning widely.

“Ah,” he said as Levi entered the hangar, offering a smile. “I would have told you they were coming, but it was a last minute transfer. I only found out ten minutes ago when they requested permission to dock,” Nile said, and Levi felt his stomach churn, heart racing.

“I don’t know who’s on that ship,” Nile warned quickly, and Levi stopped at his side, unable to speak. “But it was Mike who requested the permission.”

This was it, Levi thought. After all the waiting and agonising and fear, this was it. He could see the ship now, lights guiding them into the hangar slowly, and Levi shifted his weight onto one leg, biting the inside of his cheek as he crossed his arms over his chest. Was he ready for this? It didn’t matter. It was going to happen.

Nanaba was the first to leave the ship, and they broke into a wide smile, waving at Levi as they paused by the ship door. They said something over their shoulder, and Levi swallowed thickly as Mike exited, inhaling sharply.

Levi couldn’t help his smile at that. Even in this world, Mike still had that ridiculous habit. He was the same, and Levi was only realising now how much he’d missed him and Nanaba.

“Levi!” Nanaba called, shrugging as they saw Nile. “And Nile, I suppose, hi!”

Another person made their way down the steps from the ship, arms full of what looked like books and papers. Their head was only just visible behind their armful, but Levi had seen plenty of Moblit hidden behind things to know who he was in a moment.

And then they were before Levi, and he was engulfed in Mike’s arms. He was massive, and while tall, had nothing of Erwin’s presence. It was a different hug, especially when Nanaba joined in, letting Levi know how good it was to see him, and how relieve they were to be reunited. Whatever they’d been through in the end, they were here now.

By the time they separated, Moblit had passed on the books to Nile, who in turn had set them on the ground, still rubbing his eyes of sleep. He settled for a handshake, and Levi murmured a soft thank you, knowing it wasn’t enough for saving Hanji in their past life, on top of everything else they’d done.

No one else stepped out of the ship, and Levi didn’t think he could bear waiting find out for any longer. He had to ask, the question was on the tip of his tongue, but it was Nile who spoke it. And Levi was grateful.

“No Erwin?” he asked, and Levi felt something cold and harsh pull through him as the others looked surprised, glancing at each other.

“We thought he’d be here,” Mike said, mouth down turning as he sighed. “We assumed he’d be with the new recruits.”

Nile shook his head, and Levi felt himself shrink. Another dead end then, and despite the happiness he felt blossom with their new arrivals, the part of him that was missing Erwin gaped painfully. At least Hanji could see Moblit, and Levi knew he had to take him to them right away.

They all went. Well except Nile, who commented he was going to go back to sleep, but that was to be expected.

“We’re part of the original field team,” Nanaba said as they walked the corridors to Hanji’s room. “Our conservation scientist sent us here to help you guys. They’ll be heading over with their team when they’re done with their colony.”

“It shouldn’t take them long,” Moblit said, and Levi could hear the worry in his voice. He was nervous about seeing Hanji, and while it was absolutely adorable, Levi hated it. “They’re the elites, been doing this since the beginning of the project. There’s so many stories about them too, it’s ridiculous.”

Levi had heard some rumours about the famous lead field team. The rumours varied depending on who was telling them. Levi had heard that the team were all missing body parts and carried impressive scars after fighting poachers again and again, that they were all hulking giants who could crush the rats with their hands. He’d heard that the leader, their conservation scientist, was ruthless, his team backing him every step of the way. He was a war-machine, everyone muttered, and Levi had wondered, of course he had.

Except, there was one rumour that everyone agreed on, even Nile. They said that the conservation scientist and their team weren’t human, and that’s how Levi knew Erwin couldn’t be a part of that team. No one from their past life had come back a different species all research declared, and it left Levi empty.

Where was Erwin?

As he knocked on Hanji’s door, Levi wondered if he should have taken his phone down to the post room. He hadn’t been able to contact Hanji to warn her, and he knew that if the roles were reversed he would have hated Hanji bringing Erwin to him like this. Still, it was too late now, Moblit was here, and the door was opening.

“If you’ve woken me up because you thought of another shit joke, I’m going to hit you,” Hanji said as the door opened, and Levi stood frozen, waiting for them to notice the group with him. “You did it last week and-“

Hanji fell silent, hand white as it gripped the door. Their lips were parted, eyes wide, and they looked at Levi.

“I don’t have my glasses on,” they said, seeking reassurance, asking if what they saw was really what was there. Levi smiled slightly, taking a step to the side as Moblit shuffled forwards.

“Hanji,” he said, and then he was moving forwards and hugging Hanji tightly, twirling them around as they laughed, the sound echoing down the corridor. Levi frowned, pushing them into Hanji’s room, lest they wake the neighbours. The last thing they needed before the mission was to piss everyone off.

“Moblit!” Hanji said, and Levi rolled his eyes as he saw Moblit on the ground, Hanji sprawled across him. “It’s really you!” They wasted no time in burying their head against Moblit’s shoulder, and Levi cleared his throat.

“You have other guests too,” he said, and Hanji’s head snapped around. In an instant, she was part of the Mike and Nanaba sandwich just as Levi had been, and he took a seat on the bed, holding a hand out to Moblit.

It was nice, Levi thought. There was something here that he hadn’t been able to find with his old squads. These were the people he had suffered five years of hell with, at least. These people knew Levi best and had their memories of their former lives. The space in him he’d never thought could be filled was slowly growing smaller.

“Your plans look sound,” Nanaba said, flicking through the booklet everyone had been given on their mission. “You’ll do well out there tomorrow.”

“Are you not coming?” Hanji asked, and Levi watched as Mike toured the room, nose held high as if he was looking for something. Levi knew he wasn’t; Mike was just fucking weird.

“We have to make sure our results match with yours. I’ll be on the team receiving the rats as well, and Mike and Nanaba have the most experience with them.” Moblit flushed a little when Hanji turned to him. “They know the species better than anyone, except the leading field team perhaps.”

“I’ll get you the best rat there is,” Hanji promised enthusiastically, and their head snapped around to where Mike was standing by their chest of drawers. “Third drawer down is what you’re looking for,” they said. Mike obeyed, pulling out a cheap bottle of Alien Juze, a shitty brand alco-pop type drink. It was neon in colour, and Levi’s stomach roilled at the thought of putting that into his body.

“To friends!” Hanji said as they raised the bottle, and Levi took a swig when it was his turn regardless of personal wishes.

“Who is missing, that we know personally anyway?” Nanaba said a little later. Levi was stretched out on the bed, his feet pressed against Moblit’s thigh. He was still perched upright, though had leant forward to join the conversation on the floor, where the other three sat, Mike and Nanaba holding hands. No surprise there, Levi thought.

“A lot of the general teams,” Levi said, knowing that a lot of people had decided to stay at home, even if they had found out about their past life. “Pretty much everyone involved in the mass-execution-come-retake-wall-Maria expedition.”

Levi didn’t blame them for that. They had died as population control and hadn’t even been given a fighting chance. It had been a slaughter, and it unsettled Levi to think of them in comparison to the rats he’d be taking down tomorrow. Where was the line? What was the difference?

The difference was these rats would destroy the universe if given half a chance. It was unfair on them and not their fault they were here, but that was how it was. To save this universe, they had to control the rats.

“How about the 104 th ,” Moblit asked, and Levi glanced at Hanji.

“None of the shifters except Eren, who doesn’t appear to have any remarkable abilities or even alien dilution. He’s a passionate conservationist, perhaps a little too zealous and gung-ho, but nothing that would suggest he has a titan-like ability.” Hanji had had Eren down in the lab to test him, and after three days locked in, they’d come out and proclaimed Eren to be a young, healthy, boring human.

“And Erwin,” Mike added, and Levi felt everyone glance his way, silence stretching uneasily around them. He shrugged.

“Clearly someone forgot to tell him we were doing something important,” Levi commented blandly, sliding his legs off of the bed and standing. He didn’t want to be there anymore, not if they were going to talk about Erwin.

Waving them goodnight and making promises to meet for breakfast the next morning, Levi left. Hanji would undoubtedly tell them about Levi’s decision and what had happened, but he couldn’t face it again. It was something he’d never wanted to think about again, yet he’d been telling the story again and again, letting those he cared about know his biggest failure.

Focus on the mission. Don’t think about Erwin, just the mission, Levi reminded himself. He could do that, catch a rat and do his duty. He would protect the universe without Erwin. He didn’t need Erwin, he could do his job and-

Levi opened his door with a shaky hand, not bothering to turn the lights on or change into sleeping clothes as he fell onto the bed, curling up and covering his face with his hands. After the first few missions, Levi would take holiday. He’d go home to his mother for a week or so, see Farlan and Isabel, and maybe he’d be okay. He’d fill himself up on their love and return to fight. He didn’t need Erwin; he could cope without him.

These were just some of the lies Levi told himself regularly.

**.**

The welcome Moblit, Nanaba, and Mike received was enough to make all three flush. The food hall had erupted into cheering, and they’d been swarmed with admirers, both for accomplishments in this life and the last. Levi had watched with narrowed eyes, a slight, sleepy smile on his lips. He was tired, exhausted even, but that didn’t change how glad he was he was here.

When the time came to lead his team – a group of ten including himself – to the ship, Levi felt more awake, blood pumping through him as they suited up. Their space suits allowed them to free fall in cold space without restricted movement. They were white, moulded to the uniform, temperature regulated, and came with a bubble helmet that hid the person completely from view. There was a harness welded into the suit to connect them to the ship via a cable reminiscent of the 3DMG, and it was that that would allow them to manoeuvre enough to catch the rats.

His team were cheerful and enthusiastic, chatting about what dinner would be served and who would be the first to catch one of the rats. His team were trialling darts, guns attached to their sleeves, and they’d have to actively chase the rats down to get them.

There had been reports of a clump hovering around the planet they were headed towards, and Levi looked at his team when the ship slowed down, marking the start of their mission. Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Gunter looked determined and excited, and Levi couldn’t blame them. He was looking forward to this too, to fly through space without inhibition.

The others looked less excited, though their determination was uncontested. Jean, Connie, Sasha, Eren, and Mikasa filled up the other spaces on his team, and while Levi had been a little unsure of the decision, he knew that this team needed these people. His team were going to do extraordinary things, Levi knew, and he had to have extraordinary soldiers he had worked with before. Hanji’s team were familiar too, all people they had worked with in research as well as a nervous looking Floch. There were so many people to choose from, yet Hanji and Levi weren’t the right line managers for them.

“You know the plan,” Levi said, fingers tapping his harness and gun holsters, checking and checking again they were ready to go. As soon as he opened the door, they’d be walking along the side of the ship and would then connect the harness to one of the length of wires that connected them to the ship. Combined with the pressurisers at their sides, they’d be able to move through space and return to the ship if needed.

“Connie and Jean will take the first shift with the cages. Try not to get massive rats, we only have the capacity for smaller ones on this ship,” Levi said. He’d had the option to modify one of the bigger ships, but this one did well enough. The ship was slightly bulky, hold big enough to fit around twenty cages big enough for horse-sized animals in, so enough if they needed to catch a bigger rat.

The ship quietened, signalling it had anchored itself in deep space. Levi nodded for everyone to get their helmets on, and engaged the safety pod, a connection that buffered this room from the outer door, and that was all there was to it.

It took twenty-three steps for Levi to exit, connect himself to the ship wire, and then he was free falling, drifting out into space. He stayed by the ship originally, checking how his team were doing, and when they had all launched off of the ship, wire clipped on each side, he held an arm up, the signal to start their mission.

The pressurisers that sat low on his hip whirled into motion as Levi flicked them on. They were used to move through space, pulsing out energy in a similar way gas had. The wire was long enough that it wasn’t long before the rest of the team were dots in the distance, as Levi moved lower and lower to the gravitational pull of the planet. He could feel it tugging at his feet gently, and when it was almost too much, he circled around, floating around the top, waiting for his team to get into place. If he messed this up, they’d miss the opportunity to catch any of the rats.

“In place!” everyone said, one by one, and Levi began to move again, checking the coordinates he’d been given by the report. He could see something up ahead, an odd, ball-shaped cluster, and Levi knew it was the rats, hovering above the gravitational pull, assimilating to the planet’s conditions before they devoured it.

“Targets in sight,” Levi said, slowing down slightly. His goal was to scatter them, take one down if he could. He’d drive them to the others, and they’d take what they could.

The rats were remarkably unattractive, bodies sagging and skin raw in patches. He wrinkled his nose, stomach churning, and slipped his guns out. He fired them quickly, purposefully missing. The dart would decompose naturally after being fired, so Levi felt no guilt in losing a dart to scatter the rats up.

Three were smaller than average, closer to large dogs than their regular horse size. There was one that rivalled the size of a titan, the rest hovering around what they were prepared for, and Levi knew there was nothing for the large one. It wasn’t big enough to get on the ship. He’d have to exterminate it.

It took six darts to knock it unconscious, and it didn’t pause a moment in its panic to escape, slamming against the planet’s gravity. It didn’t seem to be able to handle it, for whatever reason, and Levi had to watch as it weakened, falling under the effect of the drug and then floating limply. It was a sad thing to see, and Levi moved closer until he was near him, the back of its head curving below.

“Sorry,” Levi said, reaching to the sheath at his hip, tucked against the pressuriser and his thigh. It contained a single blade, something sharp and durable, and it was this that Levi used to put the  _ titanus  _ out of its misery.

Just as the reports had said, the creature began to disintegrate as soon as its spinal cord was broken, a reminder that it didn’t belong in this universe. He was doing the right thing, putting it out of its misery, but knowing that didn’t make Levi feel any happier.

_ R. titanus  _ wasn’t supposed to be here. All the data collected confirmed it, and Hanji had a thousand theories, none of them particularly pleasant. They were planet crunchers, from a universe where there was plenty for them to eat without touching inhabited planets. Here, in this universe, the population was sick, scavenging or outright starving, and Hanji had revealed a little of why they wanted to study so many rats.

“The leading field team were able to see some of the rats that had been freshly imported from their original universe,” they’d said, voice low as they ate in the food hall. “They looked good, covered in fur, intelligent, responsive, quick… like a normal rat but just big.”

Levi remembered setting his fork down and nodding.

“The theory they put forward is the rats are dying here. They’re getting sick, and their mental capacities drop dramatically. They end up shutting down, useless hunks of meat, but not before they boost their population and crunch through a few planets.” Hanji had shrugged sadly, hating the thought of killing the rats as much as Levi had.

It really wasn’t their fault, Levi thought as he watched the last of the giant rat vanish. They hadn’t asked to be brought or born here, but they were stuck. The least they could do was put them out of their misery, the sooner the better for everyone.

“Captain!” Erd said over the communication device, and Levi snapped to attention. “We have three rats already, we’re swapping with the cage team.”

“Keep it up,” Levi offered, scanning the space around him, looking for a target. They needed to clear this cluster, and if they had three rats in captivity, there were still twelve that needed darting.

They finished with fifteen rats in their ship, all but the huge one Levi had killed himself. It was eerily quiet, the drugs still taking effect, and his team were on edge, ready to spring into action if one of the rats woke up. The cages were equipped to contain the rats, not to mention the hold was separate from the rest of the ship and they couldn’t get down there all together anyway, but all of them were used to being on edge.

“It’s not a nice job,” Levi said, making sure to look every member of his team in the eye. It was a little awkward, as the seats lined the side of the ship and he had to turn to make sure he could, but it was something that was important. “It’s a shitty job, killing these rats, but it’s for the good of the universe and to put them out of their suffering.”

Levi remembered another time he’d allowed himself to put someone out of their suffering, and he felt a chill flow through him.

“We’re going to get these rats back to Hanji and learn everything we can. Then we’re going to eradicate them, end their miserable lives, and save what they’re destroying.” Levi clenched his jaw, looking down, refusing to think about Erwin.

“You all did well,” Levi allowed himself to say, and he closed his eyes, pretending to fall asleep as the chatter of his team picked up, everyone sharing their experiences. He couldn’t join in, not when he was both half an hour away with the disintegrating rat corpse, and a lifetime away setting Erwin on a clean bed at the same time.

The first thing Levi did when they got back, after handing over to Hanji and their team, was head to Nile and book time home. It was just a week, and he had ten missions to go before then, but he was still going.

Perhaps in that week he’d forget about Erwin, if only for that week. It was unlikely, but Levi could hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Conservation notes for this chapter:
> 
> Rats, amongst other species such as the brown tree snake and feral cat, have been introduced to many islands through human exploration. Focusing on rats specifically, they are known to have contributed to the extinction of many species, primarily birds. They are prolific breeders and adaptable to various habitats, which basically means that once they’re there and in sufficient numbers to breed, there will be a population boost and many species that had few threats before are faced with an efficient and intelligent predator. 
> 
> This is very important for islands such as Guam, Hawai’I and the Galapagos as there are no native predators that can cope with the large population of invasive species (such as brown tree snakes/rats), so there is no way to control or eradicate the population without human intervention.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reincarnation AU where the scouting legion is a conservation team battling an invasive, planet-eating species of rat. They’re off to a good start planning to target the rats, and the specialist field team are on their way to deal with the breeding colonies. Levi still hasn’t found Erwin, and it’s starting to get a little too much.

Levi watched as Hanji practically vibrated with energy, pacing before the projection board, waiting for the last few people to file into the lecture hall. Moblit sighed at Levi’s side, muttering something about warning Hanji and caffeine, and Levi gave a small smile.

It had been a week since their first mission collecting specimens. Since then, they’d been out on another mission, this one to determine how effective various culling methods were. Hanji had been working non-stop with Nanaba, Mike, and Moblit to collate their data, and Levi had supplied them food and drinks, sitting in the lab with Mike, watching the others rush around to put a presentation together. It had been easy, nice, and Levi had felt grounded despite Erwin’s absence.

“Alright!” Hanji shouted, the door to the hall slamming. It was an open lecture, mandatory only to squad captains. Other people were allowed to attend, and Levi was happy to see many had squeezed in, tablets in hand to take notes. He saw and felt eyes on him and the other veterans, and wondered how many had come to see them in action. They’d missed it the first life around.

“Today we’re going to talk about everything we know about _R. titanus_ ,” Hanji said, clapping their hands together. “The research team that has been backing the conservation scientist’s field team arrived earlier this week and helped collate our information. With the short trial we ran this week, we’ve been able to focus on the best methods for culling _titanus_.”

Hanji paused, the image on the screen changing. It showed one of the specimens they’d captured, a young male apparently, and Hanji smiled charmingly up at it.

“Sexual maturity is at approximately 1 month. Gestation takes 3 weeks, usually 3-6 pups.. Recovery period 1 week. Longest lifespan recorded anecdotally as 25 years, confirmed tracking had proven they live at least until 10 years.” Hanji clicked the button to change the screen, listing what they were saying. “Essentially these rats are grow big, grow fast, and produce babies as if it’s nothing.”

They clicked again, the image changing to that of a cluster of rats, similar to what Levi had seen above his first planet.

“This is what Nanaba named a bundle. They tend to be non-breeding, just social clusters. When the rats aren’t eating they pretty much just bundle together.” Hanji shrugged. At his side, Moblit passed Levi a paper note, and he read it quickly, snorting.

_They wanted to research what the purpose of the bundle was, but Nile shot them down :(_

Levi took the pen Moblit offered while Hanji went on about the formation of a bundle and the difference to a breeding colony. They were discussing the way the rats would drop down from their bundle, grow used to the atmosphere of a planet and then lower themselves to the planet’s surface to feed when Levi passed his note back.

_If Hanji could get the resources, we’d know how much these rats enjoyed shitting. We should be glad they need to be dealt with quickly, or we’d never be free of them_

Moblit let out a slight despairing sigh of agreement to Levi’s note. In the background, Hanji moved onto the lesser-known breeding colonies, drawing everyone’s attention.

“If you find one of these, retreat instantly,” they warned. “The rats inside are vicious, unafraid to attack anything that comes close, and there’s plenty of them. Think of at least 30 deviant-classes with a specific goal in mind.”

There was an uneasy chuckle at that, and Levi shook his head, catching the look of amused horror on Nanaba’s face from across the room. Mike and Nanaba sat on the opposite side of the hall, controlling the presentation, and they clearly hadn’t heard Hanji’s speech before now.

“Now their diet is pretty obvious,” Hanji started, and Moblit pushed the scrap of paper back, a new message scribbled under the others.

_I’m sorry you have to watch us without him, it said, and Levi felt the blood rush through him, heartbeat pounding in his ears. He saw the uneasy way Moblit held himself from the corner of his eye, and Levi felt the stubbornness drain from him._

He hadn’t spoken to anyone about Erwin. If Erwin was brought up in conversation, Levi always found a reason to leave. It was easier to leave than listen, and no one had made him feel shame in doing so. He knew they tried their hardest not to mention him, but they missed him. It was only fair, Levi knew deep down, but even just hearing Erwin’s name hurt.

 ___I know_ , __Levi replied, tapping the pen on the desk as Hanji elaborated on where the rat’s waste went. _ __I don’t know what I’ll do when I see him. I don’t think I’m ready.__ _

Levi could allow himself this. It was a small scrap of an admission on a tiny piece of paper to Moblit. He didn’t have to speak about it, it wouldn’t leave this room, and Moblit wouldn’t discuss it behind his back, knowing how important it was. Moblit just wanted him to know it was okay, and Levi felt a wave of gratitude towards him.

 ___I didn’t think I was ready. It’s not the sort of thing you can be ready for._ __ Moblit pushed the paper back, and Levi clenched his jaw. It was different for Moblit. He’d saved Hanji in the end. All Levi had done was kill Erwin.

As if he’d sensed Levi’s thoughts, Moblit slid the paper back, scribbling something else down. Levi pretended to listen as the slide changed, showing some of the test subjects in crush cages, restrained to get DNA samples, waiting until Moblit gave the note back.

___Don’t say we’re in different situations. That doesn’t matter. He’s still someone you love, and it’s a hard thing to do to miss someone. We’re here for you, is all._ _ _

Levi inhaled slowly, forcing his clenched muscles to relax. Of course he’d known his friends were there for him. Even his mother, Isabel and Farlan were too, though they had no idea he was having troubles, especially Erwin-related troubles. He’d never been very good at depending on people though, but things could be different. Levi would try.

Hanji’s eyes snapped to them, and Levi knew then that their note passing hadn’t gone unnoticed. There was a glimmer in their eyes that promised some kind of retribution, a tiny pause before Hanji began speaking about the goals of their future missions.

“We have our method now,” Hanji said, gesturing to the board behind them. “It’s not viable to drug every rat before it’s killed. We don’t have the time or strength for that kind of operation, let alone the resources to pay for the amount of drugs it takes to knock the larger rats down. We trialled various chemicals as bait, but again the amount needed fluctuates per rat.”

There was a pause, and Levi leant forward, already anticipating what they were going to say.

“The quickest way is a quick, clean slice to the back of the neck. Failing that, you’ll all be equipped with a bolt shocker that will deliver an electric shock to the rat. It’s designed to stun them so you have time to cut the nerves.” They click onto a diagram showing where to cut, as if any of them needed the explanation. It was the same place they’d sliced up titans, and unless they were against a breeding colony, the hardest part of eradicating R. titanus would be finding and getting close enough.

“What we’ve trialled here backs up what the leading field team have tested, though they’d still been trialling other methods. We’re now going to focus solely on this cutting technique, with the leading field team taking on the breeding colonies due to their experience.” Hanji shifted the slides again, a colossal column of rats hovering above a planet coming into view. It was easily compromised of a hundred rats of various sizes, and Levi frowned uneasily.

“We have lacking data on these colonies, mainly because their output is ridiculous and as soon as they’re seen they’re to be dealt with. It’s estimated there are around 100 colonies set up across our universe, and that could multiply threefold in one month.” Hanji’s words were met with quiet horror, and Levi felt his gut churn. This was it, he thought, the big push they were heading towards. It was all well and good taking out the individuals, but if more were just being pumped in it was useless.

“Mike and Nanaba are in charge of the plan from here,” Hanji said, shuffling to the side, inching closer to the spare seat by Levi. “I’ll leave you in their capable hands!”

They sat down with an elaborate sigh, slinging an arm around the back of Levi’s chair and beaming as Mike and Nanaba took to the front, thanking Hanji and introducing themselves.

“Not bad, shitty glasses,” Levi muttered, and he caught Hanji’s smile, rolling his eyes as they patted his shoulder.

“Their plan’s quite interesting. It came in last night from the conservation science guy,” Hanji said, crossing their legs at the ankle under the table and stretching out, eyes fixing ahead.

Levi listened, the note he’d been passing to Moblit folded over between them on the desk. As the plan wrapped up, Levi nodded, taking the piece of paper wordlessly as the lecture hall erupted in excited chatter, tucking it into his pocket.

If Hanji or Moblit noticed, they said nothing, turning to him with hope in their eyes and eagerness radiating from them. The message was clear and full of hope; this was a war they were going to win. 

**.**

Three hours later saw Levi alone in a corridor, Nile’s office door before him. It was closed, as expected, despite Nile being the one who had requested the meeting. Levi wasn’t sure what to expect, and he pushed the door open, Nile’s unsurprised gaze meeting him as he walked in.

“Levi,” he greeted, voice low. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and Levi noted his desk looked like a storm had hit it. There was a half-full bottle of something alcoholic, and Nile sighed.

“A relic from last night’s late work session. Do you want a glass?” he asked, and Levi shook his head. They hadn’t had dinner yet, anyway.

“Let me know if you do. I didn’t bring you in here for a fun bonding exercise,” Nile muttered, and Levi raised an eyebrow. “The field team will be arriving soon, the conservation scientist’s team.”

The papers strewn everywhere made sense now. Levi eyed the bottle and sighed, sitting down and nodding to the alcohol. If Nile thought he’d need it, then Levi could trust him on it.

“Go on then,” he said, and Nile was quick to pour two small glasses, sitting back in his chair with his eyes closed as soon as Levi had his glass. “Tell me all about how the fancy science team are total dicks and will ruin everything we’ve done.”

Nile didn’t say anything for a long while, and then he let out a sigh.

“Nanaba, Mike, and Moblit worked for them. The team fed their results to those three, and while the contact was minimal, they never said anything bad about the field team,” Nile started. Levi rolled his eyes, sipping at his drink. If he wasn’t here to bitch about the new team coming in and taking over, what was he here for.

“The team coming in consists of seven individuals. Five are the conservation field team itself, including and led by the conservation scientist, with two scholars. A professor and his underling or something.” Nile sipped his own drink, gaze sharpening as he met Levi’s eyes. “There are too many rumours about them, and nothing conclusive. If they look like they are a threat, I want you to exterminate them.”

There was silence for a moment, and Levi wondered how long Nile had been mulling on this.

“What gives you reason to suspect them?” Levi questioned, and he could tell instantly that there was no hard evidence against the team, just a gut feeling. For Levi, though, a gut feeling had sometimes been more than enough to sway him.

“Too many rumours. I don’t even know any of their names, ages, species… they have all of our information, and we have nothing. Nanaba, Mike and Moblit are the only ones who have worked with them, but even they know next to nothing.” Nile swallowed the last dregs of his drink and set the glass back on the table. “If they don’t have anything to hide, why have they been so secretive.”

He had a point, as much as it pained Levi to admit. He set his glass down, empty, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You want me to spy on these freaks and kill them if they look dodgy, that’s it?” Levi said, and Nile nodded slowly. If Nile was asking him to kill people, there was something underfoot. Nile wouldn’t step out of line unless he had been asked to, so who was the government looking to hunt down? The only enemies Levi could think of to them now were poachers. Were poachers that much of a threat to them? Or was Nile being paranoid, slipping into old habits from their past life.

“You’re asking a lot of me,” Levi said, looking down.

“Erwin always asked for more,” Nile said simply, and Levi’s eyes snapped up, fury pouring through him. How dare Nile sit there and say Erwin’s name?

“So you do care,” Nile said as Levi stood sharply, fists clenched. He wore a grim smile, as if he had gotten what he wanted at a terrible price. And Levi had played into his scheme, of course. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d left Erwin behind.”

Levi is halfway across the desk in no time, fist buried in Nile’s collar, faces so close he could smell the lingering alcohol on Nile’s breath.

“The first thought when I wake up is fear that Erwin wasn’t born into this world, or that our paths will never cross. My last thought is I hope I can at least see his face, that I can know he’s happy, even if he never even remembers my name.” Levi took a shaky breath. “My day is full of him, just because I’m not at the space port every moment of every waking hour doesn’t mean I don’t feel him missing,” he hissed, shoving Nile back as he pushed up off of the desk. Levi stalked to the back of the chair, pacing back and forth, trying to calm himself before he returned to the rest of the space station.

“I’m sorry Levi,” Nile said, still leant back in his chair. His eyes were wide, but he seemed sincere, and Levi slowed. “It’s just hard.”

He didn’t elaborate. Levi knew what he meant anyway. It was hard seeing Levi without Erwin. It was hard talking to Levi without Erwin. It was hard Erwin not being in any of their lives, however briefly.

“I thought maybe Marie had dated him in the past, like how it happened in our first life,” Nile said, moving forwards, elbows resting on the table. Levi stalled behind the chair, turning his head to watch Nile as he spoke. “She had never heard of an Erwin Smith, and never even been friends with someone fitting his description.”

Levi turned fully, understanding completely what Nile meant. Sure, they were the next-life or reincarnations or whatever you wanted to call it, but things hadn’t happened the way they had before. Sure, some had, like an enemy only they could fight showing up and familiar names in familiar situations, but not everything was the same.

“Erwin had worked against Lovof to get me in the first life,” Levi offered dully. “I thought he’d done it again.”

There was no need to finish that thought. They both knew Levi kept searching the food hall and the hangar for Erwin every time he entered the rooms. They both knew that Levi scanned each list of incoming people, and though Erwin’s name wasn’t on there, he hoped Erwin would still come. They both knew that there shouldn’t be anything stopping Erwin from joining them… and yet where was he?

“I’ve asked contacts at Court,” Nile said, voice low. “Marie worked for the Queen for a short term, and I have a few friends in the government. They don’t know an Erwin Smith, but Court is a big place, and there’s lots of humans to go through.”

Levi recognised the name as the small planet that belonged to the rulers of the human species. They were figure headed by a Queen and run by a large government. Last Levi had heard from Kenny, he’d gone shiphopping to try and make a life for himself on Court. Whether he’d landed there or not, Levi and his mother had no idea, but there had been bundles of money sent back occasionally, smuggled in to hide from the rest of Underground. If not for that money, they would have had far harsher winters.

There were so many questions Levi wanted to ask, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to hear them aloud, hear them acknowledged, didn’t want to know if Erwin had chosen to stay away or simply wasn’t in this world.

“I’ll keep an eye on the team,” Levi said instead, and Nile nodded firmly, sighing deeply.

“I don’t actually want you to kill them,” Nile said, and Levi fought not to roll his eyes. Of course Nile didn’t, their deaths would be pointless and out of place.

“I know. You decided to be dramatic, but you’ve got a point. I’ll keep an eye on them and if they look suspicious, I’ll let you know and you can deal with it.” Levi saw Nile’s shoulders relax a little, and wondered if he should be offended Nile had thought him capable of cold blooded murder just because a group of individuals were secretive and shifty. It was a great vote of confidence.

“When I know their arrival date, I’ll let you know,” he promised, and Levi hummed an agreement, turning away and heading to the door.

“When he arrives,” Nile said as Levi’s hand hit the door handle. Levi hesitated, facing the door, waiting to hear Nile finish that sentence. “I want to apologise.”

Levi closed his eyes for a moment, a bitter smile on his lips.

“Me too,” he agreed, sweeping from the room a moment later, giving Nile no chance to reply. He didn’t need Nile’s pity, not tonight.

Dinner was just being set out by the time Levi arrived at the food hall, and he located familiar faces quickly. He nodded at Gunter and the group he was entertaining, and even spared a brief incline for the 104th, their table an odd mix of Sasha’s fervour hunger and Eren’s gloom, presumably due to the absence of his friend still.

Perhaps they all worked for the queen, Levi thought, feet tracking towards the table at the back of the room that had become the base for his group.

“The noodles are good tonight,” Mike interrupted as Levi sat down, and he nodded in thanks.

Mike already sat eating from his tray. Somehow he had managed to sweet talk the staff into feeding him early and refused to share his secrets. That was just the kind of person he was, really, and it gave Levi a chance to ask what was decent and what looked avoidable.

Or if not the queen, somewhere else they were all together perhaps. Or no, maybe they were split across the universe, completely unaware that there were people here aching for them and-

“Noodles it is then,” Levi agreed, glancing at the huge plate of noodles before Mike. They smelt good, and Levi’s eyes widened in surprise as his stomach rumbled. Mike shot him an amused look, and Levi diverted his path to head to the small queue waiting by the serving station.

He was back in ten minutes, plate heaving with noodles, and Mike had been joined by Nanaba and Moblit.

“How was your meeting with Nile?” Nanaba asked, and Levi slid onto the bench, taking the seat at the end next to Mike. Hanji was busy getting food and the last time he’d sat next to them his arm had been used as a napkin. It wasn’t something he could deal with again, and Nanaba’s smile faltered ever so slightly when they realised the only space left now was either beside Mike or between them and Moblit.

They all knew which one Hanji would pick.

“Not bad,” Levi said, holding back his smile as Nanaba started pulling napkins from the dispenser on the table. “Your conservation scientist and his team are arriving soon. No idea when.”

Even Mike seemed a little surprised at that, and Levi waited for them to explain.

“It’s just… even we don’t know much about them. We all kind of assumed they’d stay anonymous even though they did promise to show up here…” Moblit trailed off, looking at the wall behind Levi and Mike, lost in thought for a moment. “It’ll be an odd thing to put the rumours to rest.”

“It’s the team and some research guy,” Levi said, taking a sip of his water as he began eating.

“The Professor?” Nanaba asked, and Levi nodded.

“I don’t know what he’s a professor of, but maybe it’s the same person,” Levi said, and Nanaba nodded firmly.

“We only know him as the Professor, so it’s definitely the same guy. He worked for the queen for a while, was one of the top scholars I think? There’s no proper record of him, of course, but he shifted over from researching universe hopping to research the rats I think.” Nanaba looked to Moblit, shifting as heavy footsteps neared their table.

“I was allowed to see one of the studies he’s involved with,” Moblit said, as Hanji set their tray on the table, noodles spilling over the sides of their plate and onto the table. Levi grimaced. “He’d tagged five possible black holes he’d located thinking they were where the poachers were bringing the rats in from. Apparently there’s still a healthy trade of them being brought in, as no one wants to eat the half mangled, deteriorating rats that have been here for a while or bred here.”

That was fair. If Levi had to choose between fresh, pretty rat or disgusting, slowly rotting rat, he knew what he’d choose.

“Anyway this particular study was allowing the field team almost 100% success in targeting poaching groups. They stopped them a few years back though, just after I was allowed to see the study, and I have no idea if they picked them back up or not.” Moblit pushed Hanji away as she reached to grab his water, her own absent from her tray. “Go get your own,” he muttered, passing the bottle over anyway, and Hanji grinned triumphantly.

“The conservation scientist’s team are arriving soon,” Nanaba explained as Hanji looked around, and they nodded.

“Interesting, interesting, there’s a lot I’d like to ask them. They have so much more data than us, even more than what you lot have already shown me, it’ll be fascinating to go through it and see if it can answer some of the questions I have,” Hanji said, and Levi tuned out, knowing the others were probably doing the same. It was a kindness, really, and Hanji didn’t care they weren’t listening. If it was something that truly mattered, they’d know to listen.

Levi was contemplating lying his head on the table a little later, dinner digesting, when a perky tune sounded from his pocket. It was something Isabel had tuned into his phone, and Levi hadn’t had the heart to change it when he’d left, and he drew the attention of his table sharply. It broke off a conversation Hanji and Nanaba were having, Mike sitting in smug silence (he’d been the one to share this particular gossip nugget) listening, about who had supposedly been fucking in the gym this afternoon, and they turned to look at him in amusement.

“I love this song,” Nanaba said, bumping shoulders with Hanji in time to the beat, humming along with the tune as Levi stood, pulling his phone from his pocket. He rolled his eyes, about to answer, when his phone was snatched from his hand and Hanji was thumbing the screen, answering it for him.

“Hi Levi’s mother!” Hanji said, waving frantically at the camera, their eyes widening as they moved closer to the screen. “Oh my gosh, look!” The phone was shoved in everyone else’s faces, Levi unable to do anything as Hanji showed his mother off to everyone.

He could hear her laughing and saying hello to each person she was shown to, and Levi buried his head in his hands. So far he’d managed to take all calls from his mother, Farlan, and Isabel in private, though he always told the others who he was talking to. Hanji had been curious to see his mother for a while, and he knew the others were curious too, so it was inevitable this would happen.

Levi let his hands drop when he heard Hanji practically interrogating his mother, asking her to send baby photos, and Levi moved forwards, kicking Hanji under the table.

“Give it back now,” he said, and Hanji pouted ridiculously, passing the phone back dutifully and blowing kisses to his mother. “You’re a gross piece of shit,” Levi hissed their way, and Hanji’s grin doubled in size as his mother began scolding him, loud enough that the tables surrounding them turned, amusement clear in their expressions.

Levi shoved his empty tray at Hanji, letting them deal with his mess. He could still hear their laughter as he headed towards the exit, only holding his phone out in front of him when he’d cleared the food hall, one or two people lingering around.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were just making your friends up so as not to make me feel bad my son’s on the other side of the universe,” his mother said when Levi moved into his room, kicking his boots off by the door and flopping onto his bed.

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth,” Levi said, and his mother smiled warmly, a healthy glow to her skin.

“I’m glad,” she said, nodding and fiddling with the wide hat on her head. It looked sunny there still, their timezone a few hours behind the base. She looked well, and Levi was forever thanking himself for agreeing to Lovof’s offer.

“How is everyone?” Levi asked, and Kuchel launched into a tale of how Isabel had turned the business she’d joined into a roaring success in only a few weeks.

“The local newspaper are even covering it. Her boss is ecstatic. He was a little hesitant to hire her, some of the other men claimed she’s be too weak for the job, can you believe it, but now he’s singing her praises off the rooftops every night!” Kuchel laughed, and Levi smiled at the thought.

Back on Underground, Levi, Farlan, and Isabel had run a backwater junk shop, to put it politely. It was a shambles, in reality, but they traded and bargained for what they could, fixing various robotics and technology. All of them had had the knack for it, and Isabel had since joined a ship dock, fixing up spaceships and all related technology, just as she’d always wanted. It was a career path dominated by men, but she’d fought and wagered her way in, and was proving the sexist bullshit needed to be thrown out.

“Farlan’s exams are coming up, the first set at least. He’s worrying it won’t be enough, but we all know he’s more than qualified.” Levi nodded at that. Farlan wanted to be a paramedic, and he was going to be a damned fine one. There was no question of it, really, and Farlan had trained unofficially on Underground. He’d been the one to always patch them up, and more than a few people owed their entire lives to Farlan’s care. He’d be fine, but Levi would still send him a good luck message.

“I’m still working at the community garden,” Kuchel said, and Levi remembered how excited she’d been to apply for the job. It was simple work, tending to flowerbeds, making sure the arrangements were neat and fresh for all to enjoy, but it got her out of the house and kept her active. She got to meet a lot of people too, and Levi was glad. She wasn’t alone.

“All the old ladies like to hear stories about you.” Kuchel smirked, eyes narrowing wickedly for a moment. “A number of them like to keep telling me they have granddaughters of appropriate age, though what they wouldn’t give to be a few years younger themselves.”

Levi raised an eyebrow as Kuchel snorted in laughter, composure breaking entirely.

“Do you know how hard it is not to laugh in their faces?” she said, dabbing under her eyes and shaking her head. “There’s never an appropriate time to tell them they’re fishing in the wrong pond, and even worse some of them have grandsons they’d willingly sell to me to pass on to you!” Kuchel was laughing again, and Levi shook his head, horror spreading through him.

“I’m not a horse,” Levi muttered, and Kuchel nodded in agreement.

“Exactly, and I know you’ll find a lovely man to share your life in your own time and if you want to. Or you know, if you decide on a different species that is okay too, whatever makes you happy,” Kuchel said, and Levi looked away.

“Mama,” he began, though he felt warmth spread through him. No matter what happened, his mother would always have his back. Levi wanted to talk to her about Erwin, but he had no idea how to even approach the subject.

“Levi,” Kuchel began softly, leaning forwards into the camera. “I’m here if you need to talk. Or I can tell Farlan and Isabel to phone you when they’re back. Or, I don’t know, I can grab your old toy bear and leave the phone by it?” She softened as Levi gave her a weak smile.

“I just… I don’t know how to explain this without it coming out weird,” Levi admitted, rolling onto his side and propping the phone up with cushions. “It’s to do with past lives and people and stuff,” he explained, and Kuchel nodded, as if she completely understood.

Levi had talked about what had happened with all three of them back home. Isabel had thought it cool, Farlan had remained sceptical, but both of them had ultimately put it to the back of their minds. To them, Levi was just doing his job in a different part of the universe, not living a second life trying to redeem himself and find the people he loved.

His mother was another matter. She’d listened as Levi had explained that the past lives gimmick was real, and that he had his memories back. He’d briefly told her of the titans and what he’d done, and while she hadn’t fully understood, she’d told him she was proud of him, for living through that when she hadn’t been there. Levi hadn’t elaborated on her death, but it was obvious that she hadn’t been in the picture, and Kuchel was smart enough to put two and two together.

His mother also knew that the job he was on now was based on the backs of that past life, that his experience there was what made him so qualified now. Again, she hadn’t claimed to understand any of it, but when Levi had answered honestly that he was happy doing what he was doing, she’d been happy for him. It wasn’t the dream he’d entertained since he was a kid of being an engineer, but remembering his past life had opened up entirely new channels for Levi, and despite Erwin’s absence, he was truly happy.

“There was someone in my past life,” Levi said, avoiding looking at his mother’s face on the screen. She hummed, interested, and Levi continued. “Someone I loved, and someone who loved me back. If we’d been in a calm world, we probably would have been married for decades,” Levi said, smiling a little at the thought.

Levi paused, gathering his thoughts. What was it he wanted his mother to do?

“Everyone else has arrived. All of our friends, all of our colleagues, give or take a few,” Levi continued, eyes flicking to the screen and then off again. “No one’s heard of his name, let alone seen him. He’s not the type to stay hidden without a reason.”

In an instant, Levi knew Kuchel had understood what Levi wanted to know. He could tell in the way she let out a soft sigh and shifted the camera angle, leaning even closer.

“You’re scared,” Kuchel said gently, and Levi nodded slightly. He didn’t have to hide that with his mother. She’d seen him at his best and at his worst and she still loved him fiercely. He’d do anything for her, and her for him.

“I don’t know what’s worse, Mama,” Levi said, inhaling sharply. He could feel bitterness welling in his throat, the sting of tears at his eyes. “Is it worse if he remembers but doesn’t want anything to do with me, or if he never remembers at all?”

If Levi could have jumped to the other side of the universe then, he would have, all to be held in his mother’s arms. Instead, he listened as she talked, softly and slowly, just as she’d always done when things had been too much for them all.

“I know you Levi,” she said. “If you loved this man in your past life, enough to say you’d have married him for decades, then you need to have more faith in yourself and more in him.”

The words breezed through Levi, cold sweeping through him. Had he really lost that much faith in Erwin?

“There has to be a reason he isn’t there, use your beautiful head and think about it,” Kuchel said, and Levi looked at the phone screen, bitterness and sting dying back. “He is a man who loves you, and as someone else who loves you, not even the universe itself would stop me returning to you.”

Kuchel smiled gently. “It won’t stop him, in the end. Believe me on this one.”

Levi nodded, his mother’s words echoing through him long after they’d ended the call. He believed her, and he’d continue to believe in Erwin.

This was a second chance, and if Levi had to wait for it, he’d wait as long as he needed to.

 

 

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Conservation notes:  
> While invasive species are not the only factor in play for the decline of many species, they impact heavily on already failing populations. Rattus norvegicus has contributed to the decline of 67 species (7 of which are now extinct and 48 endangered), and Rattus rattus has contributed to the decline of 222 species (21 of which are now extinct and 154 endangered).
> 
> The rats themselves limit the plant growth in a habitat, as well as eat bird eggs, lizards, small mammals fruit, seeds, and birds even as large as some seabirds. They out compete native wildlife, using up resources and driving the native wildlife to starvation in many cases. They are prolific breeders. In a single year, one rat can produce around 15,000 descendants.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conservation team finally arrives, and rumours are put to rest.

On the way back from another successful mission, Levi set the ship on course for the base and sat back in his seat. His team was busy going over what they’d done for Hanji’s research, and Levi was alone in the cockpit. He could hear their voices, and while their laughter and arguments warmed him, he didn’t feel like joining them today.

Instead, he sat and looked out into deep space, marvelling at what he could see. There wasn’t a lot in this part of the galaxy, but it was more than Levi had seen on Underground, and he savoured this as much as he’d savoured riding free of the walls. 

Levi inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He had 6 unread emails from Nile, and he could hear the ping of another one. There was nothing substantial in any of the messages, just Nile blathering on how he thought the conservation scientist’s team would be arriving soon, except no the plans had changed, oh no they’re coming right now – rinse and repeat. It was an ongoing saga, and Levi was tired of it. 

Of course, sagas demanded bets, and there was a betting pool already up and running thanks to Mike. He’d shrugged when Nile had demanded to know what he was doing, and Levi knew that even Nile had placed bets on both the day they’d arrive and whether they’d know any of the team (in a week and yes, 2 people). 

Levi hadn’t bothered himself, and Mike hadn’t asked him to. Mike understood, most likely, and Levi was thankful this was in his hands rather than Hanji’s, if only to keep it from becoming something elaborate and far more complex.

Another email pinged through, and Levi opened his eyes, reaching for his phone. He sighed, scrolling through the emails and deleting them, shutting his phone off without replying. Whatever Nile wanted him to say, Levi would just say it to his face. It was easier that way, and more interesting to watch Nile’s expressions change when he realised Levi didn’t really care about most of the shit he said. 

Apparently ignoring Nile wasn’t something Levi could get away with, however, and his phone began buzzing. He sighed, pulling it out from the pocket he’d shoved it into, and answered it.

“I know you saw the email notifications,” Nile opened with, and Levi rolled his eyes. “Anyway, since you’re ignoring my emails, I wanted to let you know that Hanji wants to go through some stuff with you. I don’t know why they didn’t tell you themselves, but here I am.”

“You just wanted to bitch at me for not answering your emails,” Levi said, shrugging. “It’s okay Nile, you can admit it now.”

There was a sigh on the other end of the line, and Levi smiled to himself, satisfaction curling through him. He loved annoying Nile.

“We’ll be back soon. You can probably pick us up easily on the small range radar by now. I’m about to submit a docking request,” Levi said, and Nile made a noise of agreement, cutting the call short a moment later.

There was a laugh from the main room of the ship, and Levi decided to join his crew.

The news of the conservation scientist’s crew joining them had spread quickly through the base, and while there was interest, most people had carried on as usual. Levi and the rest of what he’d dubbed the core team were the ones uneasy about it. His team seemed far more relaxed, and some of them looked up as Levi took a seat beside Connie.

“Captain!” Petra said, not taking her eyes from her handful of cards. “I’m about to beat Eren!”

“Petra!” Eren said, head shaking from side to side as he scanned his cards. Levi watched in amusement as he put a card down, followed by Petra’s smug smile and her entire hand going down, and while he had no idea what game they were playing, everyone bar Eren cheered, clearly recognising Petra’s win.

“I failed,” Eren said miserably, and he reached into his pocket, pulling a keychain heavy set of keys out and detaching one of the keychains. He held it out, and Petra darted forwards, swinging her prize around merrily.

“Look Captain!” she said cheerfully, holding out what looked like a rabbit crossed with a carrot. Levi nodded with a tight smile, not seeing the appeal at all.

It was a strange craze that had swept through a large portion of the base, and Levi didn’t think he’d ever get it. There were a series of keychain figures shaped like vegetable animals that had become popular, and instead of betting with money, a lot of betting pools and games used the ridiculous and unending amount of vegetable animals. Levi had seen some being wagered for the conservation scientist team bet too, and he had no idea how a plastic figure could look both like an avocado and a monkey but it had. 

“Thanks Eren,” she said with a smile, and Levi watched as Eren nodded tightly, looking for all the world as if he was about to burst into tears. Mikasa patted his shoulder gently.

A lifetime of titans and this was how they came out of it. Levi hid his smile from the rest of the group, turning away for a moment as if he was looking for something. He didn’t want them to know, but he was proud of them all. They were good people now, all doing good things. They could be happy, and Levi wanted them to stay that way.

Despite the people they were missing, they were doing well. Nothing could change that, not even a conservation scientist and their fancy team.

**.**

The flight deck was fairly empty, and Levi nodded to one of the attendants, glad to see his ship had been brought in for servicing. Levi opened the door with his code and dumped his cleaning products inside, taking the servicing tablet from its station by the door and booting it up. He flicked open the service app, getting ready to check the status of the outside of the ship before he worked internally.

His tour of the ship revealed everything was in order, and Levi scanned everything he had to, signing his name at the bottom of the screen. His ship probably ran through more checks that the others combined, but it was something Levi enjoyed doing. He wanted to know there was no way he’d get stuck in cold space, and how else could he do that than by checking the equipment they used? 

Moving inside, Levi ran through the first checks here, making sure the lights and mechanics were working. He only had a rudimentary knowledge of spaceships in comparison to the actual service crew, but Levi did what he could, armed with the servicing tablet. He kept his ship running well and clean, far better than some of the other ships. Levi had seen the small ship the 104th had taken out for a small supply run one day, and that had looked a nightmare when it had returned. Levi was never going to let them ruin this ship.

Speaking of which, the ship could use a good scrub. They’d stopped by for food at some famous drive through place, and the ship was still littered with greasy fingerprints, despite Levi already having cleaned the metalwork twice.

“Damned kids,” he muttered, stomping over to the bucket he’d brought on board, grabbing a spray and cloth. His moan was only half-hearted, and Levi had to admit he didn’t mind the cleaning one bit. It helped him clear his head.

Over on the main flight control panel, Levi’s phone buzzed. He paused, sighing when he realised it was a call, not a text he could ignore. Setting down the spray and cloth, Levi abandoned his cleaning to answer it, Hanji’s name flashing on screen.

“Where are you?” they asked, not even waiting for Levi to say hello. He frowned at the lack of manners, looking around himself.

“The main flight deck doing my ship checks. What do you want?” he said, moving to the flight chair and sitting down. Hanji sounded as if they were practically salivating down the line, and Levi wondered what had gotten them so worked up. It wasn’t as if he was far away from their office, and usually Hanji preferred to stalk around his little ship waiting for Levi to finish up.

“They’re coming, their ship’s just asked to dock. I only know because I took the message for Nile.” Levi didn’t want to know what Hanji was doing unsupervised in Nile’s office.

“Does he even know?” Levi asked, butterflies in his stomach at the thought of the conservation field team finally arriving.

“Of course,” Hanji said, and Levi could tell they were rolling their eyes. “I’m not an idiot. Besides, I don’t have the flight clearance codes, so I had to tell him, didn’t I?”

Whether Hanji would have told Nile if they’d had the codes or not wasn’t something Levi wanted to find out. He leant towards the front window, looking around for any sign the conservation team were coming in.

“You’re sure it’s the main docking station? I’m here, and it’s completely dead apart from a few youngsters,” Levi said, watching the young members of the service crew clean down a section of the hold. On second thought, they wouldn’t be doing that without a proper reason.

“Definitely,” Hanji confirmed, and Levi watched as the group began to get things ready to secure a ship. “I have to hang around with Nile, since _someone_ managed to sneak off. I’d suggest staying there for this whole thing, Nile’s going to probably want to parade them around or something, so get out when you can.”

Levi hummed his agreement, tapping his free hand on the arm of the chair, curiosity and nerves rattling inside of him. He stood momentarily to flick the comms on, knowing he’d want to hear whatever was said outside of the ship.

“Right well. I’m sure I’ll see you at some point for the welcoming ceremony or whatever Nile has planned. Stay hidden and have fun gawking at the newbies!” They hung up without further notice, and Levi tucked his phone into his pocket, returning to cleaning.

Realistically, Levi knew that this was his last chance to find Erwin on this mission. This was the last influx of people to the project, a team of 7, and if Erwin wasn’t on the team, wasn’t the professor or his assistant, he wasn’t involved at all. And Levi had no idea how to feel about that.

If Erwin wasn’t part of this team, would he stick around or would he leave to find him? Though he’d already resolved to stay, Levi knew his decision wasn’t final until he knew for sure whether Erwin had joined the non-human team. He needed to know who was on the ship, and he bit the inside of his cheek as he cleaned, trying his hardest not to think about it at all. Cleaning was easier than facing his problems, much easier.

Of course, the flurry of activity picking up in the hangar alerted Levi to the fact that the new ship was pretty much docking right now. He was on the last of his checks and had packed up his cleaning gear when the sliding doors opened to the airlock began to open. The ship had passed decontamination then, and Levi drifted to his chair, noticing that a decent-sized crowd had gathered, all watching the ship roll slowly in just as Levi was.

On a scan of the crowd, Levi could see the main welcoming group. Nile was looking around sharply, most likely wondering where Levi was, and he could see Hanji sandwiched between Mike and Nanaba, the three of them straight-backed and curious. There was no Moblit, but Levi supposed he was busy supervising whatever was happening in the research division today.

It seemed like forever before the ship was cleared to disembark, and Levi grew restless, tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair and frowning out at the ship’s door. He had a perfect view, if a little far back, and Levi resisted jumping up to pace while the last safety checks were made, the ground crew giving the ship the all clear to unload.

The door opened slowly, a small section of the side of the ship lowering down, a handrail unfolding and securing itself. The steps unfolded automatically, and Levi nodded to himself, admiring the ship. He’d seen a few ships with automated features like that before, all space junk and battered beyond repair on Underworld, and a few out of commission on this base, and it was a thing of beauty to see it working. Briefly, he wondered if he could investigate the ship a little, and then he was distracted by the first passengers exiting.

As soon as the first figure came into full view, the rumours made perfect sense. Not human, they’d all agreed on, and Levi was out of his seat, watching Ymir, then Annie, then Bertholdt and then Reiner make their way down the stairs. Non human indeed, though Levi was willing to bet his left leg that they were actually as human as Eren was, and that their famed rumours came from mistranslation and memories of what they’d done before.

Their faces were painfully blank as they fanned out, squaring themselves before the ship. t almost looked as if they were bodyguards securing the area for whoever was behind them, and Levi’s stomach churned bitterly, memories of what they’d done and of what he’d done burning through him.

As they waited, Levi inspected each of their faces. Ymir looked as bored as she could possibly be, Annie sullen, and Reiner stony-faced, while Bertholdt seemed to be looking past everyone, brow furrowed and back ramrod straight. 

Not human. It made perfect sense.

Levi forced his clenched fists to relax, pushing air out through his nose and shaking his head. A quick glance to the welcoming group showed they had no idea what to do with this revelation either, and Levi could feel the tension from inside his ship. He had no idea why the four shifters would even think of coming here. There was nothing good for them here, surely, and yet here they were, looking as if they wanted nothing more than to return to the ship. 

No one else had disembarked yet, and a sudden, cold thought struck Levi. If these four were the field team, then who was the conservation scientist? A team like this, Levi felt fear strike him as he imagined Zeke stepping free from the ship, eyes cold as he surveyed them all. If it was Zeke, if this was how the world was going to be, Levi was leaving. He wasn’t going to share the space with a man like that, not even if it meant going back to Underground by himself.

Levi left the chair, pacing around in a circle, eyes fixed through the glass focused on the door. Any moment now the scientist would reveal themselves, and Levi would decide his future. Any moment now, Zeke would step out, and Levi wouldn’t be able to take it.

There was a ripple in the crowd, and Levi saw the four shifters stiffen, the 104th slipping to the edge of the group, all attention forwards. There was a mixture of horror and hope on their faces, and Levi was stricken at how young they all were. He could see, even in this ship and with the space between them, that his team wanted to forgive the four shifters, that they wanted to bridge the gap between the past life and now, and Levi wasn’t sure how that made him feel.

Perhaps they were just better people than he ever could be, Levi thought, eyes drifting back to the ship. Perhaps they really could separate their past life from the now and move past the betrayal and loss… but Levi couldn’t. Not after what he’d chosen to do.

Perhaps the four shifters coming here wasn’t such a bad idea after all, at least for the younger generation. 

A scuffle of movement drew Levi away from his thoughts, and his eyes widened as a man stumbled down the stairs, large overcoat flapping around him as he shrugged it on, an old camera bouncing around his neck. He looked overjoyed, standing straight and pushing a pair of crooked glasses up his nose, looking around as curiously as Hanji inspected her specimens. The man nodded, calling something over his shoulder, and Levi’s eyes narrowed as the man nodded again, something very familiar in the core of this man, something he couldn’t quite place. 

The man turned back towards the ship and Levi blinked, not sure if what he was recognising could be true. His thoughts were interrupted momentarily, though, as a fresh-faced young man hurried out of the ship, practically jumping down the stairs to hand the man – the Professor, Levi guessed – a thin folder and a tablet, shaking his head as he spoke to the Professor.

Levi’s eyes flickered to the 104th, knowing before he saw Eren and Mikasa that his thoughts on who the assistant was were correct. He could see their shock and disbelief morph into something softer, and Levi looked away when Eren’s knees gave, the pair of them sinking as Armin Arlet, the Professor’s assistant, nodded in their direction, a fearful little smile on his face.

The Professor laughed suddenly, one of his hands, the one free of equipment, settling itself on Armin’s shoulder, and Levi’s heart leapt into his throat at the gesture. He recognised it at once, the exact placement identical to the one in his memories. He’d felt it so many times on his own shoulders, a guiding presence, and Levi felt his breath quicken, leaning towards the window.

The Professor was easily twenty, thirty years older than Levi, and he didn’t know what that meant. The reincarnation thing had never thrown things out of balance like that; from everything Levi had seen, everyone was the same age proportionate to each other, as they had been in their past life, give or take what seemed to be the maximum of 5 years. There was no way this man could be Erwin, his Erwin, but there was no other explanation for why he was so familiar, and why he had the same mannerisms down perfectly. There was only one Erwin Smith, and while this man was unfamiliar, Levi would always be able to pick out the details of him regardless of age, just as he had here.

Something in Levi told him to turn his attention away from the Professor, and his eyes set upon the open door as a figure became clear in the doorway, tall and broad shouldered. The world narrowed down as Levi watched the man exit the ship, and his breath caught in his throat, the world hazing as Levi fought to breathe.

Erwin Smith, looking not a day older than he had the first time they met, walked slowly down the steps of the ship. He wore a bag slung across his torso to accommodate his missing right arm, and Levi watched as his only hand slipped against the railing, adding support as he took in the crowd.

Levi didn’t know what to think. He swallowed thickly, forcing himself to take a shaky breath. He blinked back tears from stinging eyes, practically pressing his face against the window, heart hammering in his chest. There was no way the man – the conservation scientist - was anyone but Erwin, but Levi had to be sure. He’d been disappointed so many times.

But no. The man there was Erwin, without a shadow of a doubt. From the place where his arm was amputated to the confident strides he took, this was Levi’s Erwin. 

The flight deck was silent, and Levi could feel it in his bones. No one knew what to do, and Levi glanced at the rest of Erwin’s team, conflict inside of him.

Not once had Levi thought about the titan shifters in this world, or even Armin really aside from a cursory thought, something throwaway he’d discarded simply. How this group had come together, Levi could only imagine. He didn’t know if he’d be able to deal with the titan shifters, however, or why Erwin was with them in the first place. 

It stung not to be part of Erwin’s team.

In seconds, Erwin had placed himself between Reiner and Annie, hand resting on Reiner’s shoulder, showing his loyalty to them as clear as day. There was a challenging jut to Erwin’s jaw as he tilted his head slightly, directing his words to Nile.

“My team have had a long journey,” Erwin said in a calm, deep voice. It sent shivers down Levi’s spine, and he forced himself to take a step back, inching away from the glass. “I would appreciate it if they could rest before submitting to the inevitable interrogation.”

Nile handed his tablet to his assistant right away, Levi noticed, and the assistant hurried forwards, fingers swiping over the screen, most likely looking up free rooms and allocating them. They hovered before Erwin, and Levi could imagine the awe on their face as they looked at him. An irrational spike of jealousy touched at Levi, and he turned his back on the scene, eyes roaming over his ship, unable to settle.

“I’ll answer any questions you have,” Erwin said clearly, turning to the Professor and his assistant. At this angle, Levi could see Erwin’s expression soften as he looked behind them, and the realisation hit Levi like a tonne, his stomach plummeting.

Of course the Professor wasn’t Erwin, but Erwin had come from somewhere, hadn’t he?

Professor Smith, Erwin’s father, a ghost in their past lives. Here he was, nodding to something Erwin said quietly, Armin at his side. The success rate of this field team made complete sense seeing them, and Levi felt bitterness stir in him.

He should be there. He should be the one Erwin was leaning on, the one at Erwin’s side. He should be the one Erwin could trust and depend on, not the four shifters. It should have been Levi.

Only… it had been Levi’s choice in the end hadn’t it. There was no way Erwin couldn’t know that now, not with both Bertholdt and Armin on his team. They would have plugged the gaps, and Erwin would know now what Levi had done. 

The worst thing was, even if Erwin knew, Levi reckoned he wouldn’t care. Erwin had entrusted the serum to him in the end, had thanked Levi, and they had parted, both knowing the inevitable. The serum had been a false hope Levi had clung to, but Erwin had known even then. Of course he had.

Levi closed his eyes for a moment, Erwin’s figured burnt on the back of his eyelids. He was all Levi could see and think of, and now he was actually here, Levi wanted to hide forever. How could he face Erwin? How could he look him in the eye and admit everything? Erwin had been running around saving the galaxy probably his entire life by the looks of things, and had even reached a point in his life where he trusted the shifters. Levi doubted he would ever reach that point, so how had Erwin, and why hadn’t he come for Levi sooner?

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, that was the crux of the issue. Erwin had to have known about Levi, remembered him, for a long time now, but he hadn’t come for Levi. Perhaps there was a logical explanation, but it still stung, especially when he was here, their (former) enemies his loyal team now.

Nile’s assistant nodded, saying something to which Erwin replied. There was silence again after that, the assistant nodding to Nile and waiting for further orders. Levi was exhausted, but he kept as close to the window as he could, eyes stinging as he stared and stared. He wasn’t ready to look away, not when he couldn’t be certain that this was really happening.

Levi could see Reiner turn to Erwin, and then the others. No words were spoken, but Erwin didn’t need words to have entire conversations. They were asking permission, waiting for orders, and Erwin sent his team off with Nile’s assistant. The group gathered parted for them quickly, and Levi had to admit he was impressed with how the shifters held themselves, two before and two after Armin and Professor Smith, heads held high and shoulders tense as they walked amongst people they’d once called an enemy.

No one stopped them, not even Eren and Mikasa, and Levi was thankful for that. Now was not the time for heartfelt reunions, not when Erwin had made it specifically clear his team weren’t to be touched unless they wanted to go through him. Erwin was going to go all out for this team.

It was Nile who strode forwards then, pausing metres before Erwin uncertainly. No words were exchanged, but Erwin nodded placidly, Nile turning away and heading, presumably, to his office, Erwin a half-step behind.

It took about ten seconds for them to leave, and no one moved. Levi didn’t know what to do. Part of him wanted to tear down the corridor after Erwin, and the other half wanted to take this ship out and run back to his mother’s. He did neither of those things, of course. He curled up in his chair, staring at the control panel, and tried not to think.

A little later, after everyone had left, Levi uncurled from the chair, rubbing his eyes. He exited his ship quietly, slowly, and headed to his room. Mercifully he met no one on the way; perhaps they were all gawking and gossiping in the food hall. Once in his room, Levi kept the lights off and changed into sleeping clothes quickly, not bothering with the rest of his routine. All he wanted was to hide in the darkness and sleep so he didn’t have to think about anything.

So he did.

**.**

Levi wasn’t hiding. Hiding would mean he was nowhere to be found or was avoiding people, and he certainly wasn’t doing that. Sure he might have asked Hanji if he could work on some data entry in his room and sure he might be skipping meals, but that didn’t mean he was hiding. He’d seen Mike, Nanaba, Hanji, and a few others in the past three days; therefore he wasn’t hiding.

Closing the screen he was working on, Levi sank back in his chair, glancing at the clock on his computer. It was late, too late to head to the food hall (not that he would have anyway), and Levi fought a yawn. Hanji had been by today, scowl on their face as they updated Levi on the Erwin plus team situation, even though Levi really didn’t want to know. 

“We haven’t actually seen Erwin, Reiner, Bertholdt or Annie,” Hanji had said, peering around Levi’s room as if they expected it to be a mess now he was holed up in it. Try again Hanji. “Ymir’s great fun though, she even came down to the lab and let us run tests on her. She always was pretty easy going – you know she’s still with Historia? The Princess, who is actually the major spearhead for this project believe it or not, risked everything when she invested in it but with our research, she’s now able to actually put together iron-clad proof she did the best thing and-“

Levi had cut Hanji off, not caring whether Historia was an actual princess or who she wanted to support. 

“I don’t care Hanji,” he had said, and Hanji had diverted slightly.

“Of course, but we haven’t seen him. The Professor and Armin have been around a lot.” Hanji had sounded proud, and Levi had looked at them, interested and unafraid to show it. “They were impressed by our work and couldn’t wait to work with us, to share everything. I thought Moblit was going to have a heart attack when the Professor said his name.” Hanji had laughed, and Levi had been left wondering what Erwin was up to and why he was being so secretive.

Still, he had to play it safe, and if that meant remaining confined to his room for a while, then so be it. Levi could handle it, even when he could sense disapproval on all sides. At least no one had thought to go and fetch Nile. Even Levi couldn’t disobey a direct order from the base commander.

Levi’s stomach rumbled, and he glanced at the door, sighing. For the past few nights, someone – most likely Hanji – had been dropping off trays from the food hall for him. They’d never missed a meal, and Levi had been growing a little complacent. He could leave if he wanted to, of course, but leaving ran the risk of meeting someone he didn’t want to bump into casually. Inside his room was safe.

As if summoned by his thoughts, there was a soft knock on the door. Levi waited, as he always did, for a full minute before he moved to the door, opening it. His eyes set upon a tray, and widened in surprise as he saw there were, in fact, two trays, with a person attached.

A person that wasn’t Hanji.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Professor Smith said, giving an apologetic smile, wrinkles deepening across his face. “I’ve been meaning to actually drop at least one tray off in person, but time hasn’t been a friend lately,” he continued, and Levi’s gaze fell to the trays, surprise flowing through him.

This was not what he’d expected at all. He’d expected Mike, Nanaba, Moblit, Hanji, even the 104th to be the ones dropping his food off, not a complete stranger. 

“Can I come in? It’s no bother if you’d prefer me not to. I thought I’d introduce myself anyway,” the Professor said, and Levi noticed how kind he looked, heavy wrinkles around the corners of his mouth and eyes, laughter lines. His brow was furrowed with lines Levi knew eyebrow-raising had caused, and he knew there was no way he’d turn Professor Smith away. 

Stepping to the side, Levi let Professor Smith in, pausing when he realised he only had one chair. Before he could say something, however, the Professor lowered himself to the floor, balancing both trays as if eating on the floor was a normal thing for him. 

“I have a terrible habit of forgetting meals when I’m knee deep in data,” the Professor said, sliding one of the trays over for Levi. He sat down opposite the Professor, back to the edge of his bed. “Armin’s terribly meddling habit of making sure he gets every meal to me seems to have taken hold. Now I’m the one doing it,” the Professor continued, picking up the bread roll and opening the pot of whatever they had. It looked like stew.

“Thank you,” Levi said quietly. It wasn’t that he was unused to kindness, but to receive such care from a stranger was an odd thing. Did he know who Levi was? Did he know who Levi had been to his son?

“I’ve been catching up with your core team here,” the Professor said between bites. His voice wasn’t as deep as Erwin’s, a little croakier too, with a softer tone Erwin could never afford. It was a storytelling voice, full of intrigue and well-reined in excitement. “They all speak very highly of you, and their work is impeccable. I’m a little regretful it took us so long to get here, truth be told.”

The Professor sighed, glancing up at Levi. 

“You should eat. It’s not good for a young man like you to skip meals,” he chastised gently, and Levi gave a small smile, shaking his head.

“I’m not really a young man,” he replied, and the Professor rolled his eyes dramatically.

“You’re around the same age as Erwin aren’t you, son? You’re definitely still a young man, especially to someone as old as I am!” The Professor dropped the endearment so easily, and Levi stilled, fingers hovering over his cutlery. His hands felt clammy, uncertainty swirling in him. 

“Honestly, it won’t harm you to eat up. The meals here are much better than our little base. Most of the team can barely scrape together a sandwich, it’s pathetic. I’d blame the parents for failing to teach them, but as Erwin’s one of them, I can attest he’s never had an affinity for cooking.” The Professor laughed, smiling at his memories. Levi’s hands moved down, taking his fork, and he began eating slowly, watching the Professor before him.

“You missed the catch up talks we had,” the Professor said then, and Levi knew he was just as cunning as Erwin ever had been, the mirth in his eyes faded to curiosity. “We’ve handed over our data and explained our project yesterday. A lot of us had hoped you would be there but… all things considered it’s understandable.”

The Professor set the tray to the side, opening his juice carton and taking a sip. He’d chosen one of the ones with a straw, one of the ones Levi thought people looked ridiculous drinking from.

“I’m actually the newest recruit to the team, believe it or not,” the Professor began, and Levi nodded, pushing his food around the bowl. He’d force himself to eat a little, but his appetite had plummeted when he’d realised this was to be a serious discussion, one he couldn’t get out of. 

“Before the rats, I was a researcher for the human government, directly under Queen Frieda. Well, I started under King Uri, but he abdicated of course.” Levi nodded, as if he knew it. He’d never cared for the people in power. 

For a moment, Levi wondered if Kenny had managed to find his way on Court. Had he even managed to reunite with Uri? Did he even have his past memories? Perhaps Levi should ask his mother if she’d heard from him next time they spoke.

“I specialised in theorising universe-to-universe transportation, though there was nothing too conclusive to work with until about 5 years ago.” Levi knew that date. It was the time the first reports of poachers smuggling the rats in had begun, a confirmation that they could, in face, hop through universes. 

“We began tracking the black holes. All research indicated these were the weak spots, and when Erwin asked if I’d be happy to test my rudimentary theories in combination with his project, and he gave me Armin as an assistant… though I suppose I didn’t formally join the team until he lost his arm.” The Professor crumpled his juice carton up, folding his hands in his lap and looking directly at Levi.

His eyes were a watery shade of Erwin’s, and the force of the stare was nowhere near as strong as Erwin’s, but it was clear where Erwin had gotten most of his habits from. Levi set his hardly touched dinner aside, blinking slowly, trying to steel himself for this conversation. He hadn’t been there the first time Erwin had lost his arm, but at least he’d been there to help him through it after. This time, Levi hadn’t even known Erwin had existed.

“I’d taken on a few consultations with Erwin’s team, and Armin and I were heading to tag a new site. We had five already set up, and I knew Erwin’s team were monitoring them in case they showed potential activity,” the Professor began, looking down at his hands. “I learnt later they’d been responding to definite activity, they they’d even managed to engage the poachers. I still don’t know to this day how exactly Erwin was injured, but I know enough that what he did saved every member of his team, and that he wouldn’t hesitate to put himself in that position again.”

The Professor looked at Levi then, eyes sad.

“I entered the hospital and the four of them were there. They’d been alright kids, eager to get the job done, seemed to be hard working, but I’d never really interacted with them before.” He took a deep breath, tilting his head to the side. “When I saw them in the hospital, I wanted to hurt them. I hated them, for what they’d done to Erwin and what they were doing to me. I remember thinking how dare they be there when it was their fault Erwin was dying.”

Levi remained still and silent, not even blinking. He knew staring for this long was rude, but he couldn’t look away from Professor Smith. There was so much anguish and hatred in his voice at the memories Levi couldn’t understand how that had become the man trading smiles with the group days ago. How could someone change for the better like that?

“Armin approached me, just as I was about to move and grab one of them – any one of them it wouldn’t have mattered. He stood there, unrecognisable from the gentle kid I was used to seeing, and told me that Erwin had chosen to save them.” Levi closed his eyes, bringing his knees to his chest. He knew, without a doubt, that it was those words alone that had defused the Professor, just as they would have defused him. He opened his eyes a sliver, watching the Professor’s hands. They were smaller than Erwin’s, 

“How could I hurt them when my son had decided to save them, even at the cost of his own life?” Professor Smith slid his glasses from his face and drew a small cloth out, cleaning the lenses. “I spent 2 months with his team, waiting for him to recover. Most of that time, Erwin was asleep, and I got to know them.”

Professor Smith set his glasses back on his face and offered a small smile.

“They are good people,” he said, and Levi opened his eyes fully. “I’m not excusing what they did in their past lives, but I got to know them before knowing of the past. They are good people here, and they want to save the universe.”

Perhaps they did want to save the universe, but did their ideals and plans line up with that the rest of them wanted? Were they just going to be betrayed again? Were they all going to have to watch the people they love get slaughtered all over again?

“If I can’t convince you they are different to how they were before, you can’t deny that Erwin trusts them.” Professor Smith was looking at Levi softly, as if he knew without a doubt the right words to say to get Levi to understand. “Erwin has fought for them multiple times, I’ve even seen a few of them. He had to do it the moment he got here: I’m surprised you didn’t hear the argument he had with Nile on the other side of the base.”

He waved a hand, shaking his head.

“My son, the troublemaker,” he said fondly, and Levi’s heart clenched at the warmth in his voice. He loved Erwin so much, and was unafraid to show it. It was remarkable what this life was allowing them to do, and Levi swallowed back emotion, letting out a heavy breath. Erwin must be so much happier this time around, and he hadn’t even needed Levi.

“I know he gave you a lot of trouble too, so thank you for taking care of him when I couldn’t,” Professor Smith said, and Levi looked at him sharply, shaking his head. How much did the Professor know about him and Erwin?

“Erwin was never the type to chase anyone around, even when he was younger. I have no idea if he’s ever been involved with someone,” the Professor said, and Levi’s eyes widened, awkwardness spreading through him. “He’s certainly never brought anyone home, or even talked about anyone he likes. It made sense when I learnt about the past lives issue and got myself injected, after he lost his arm, but before then it was a puzzle.”

The Professor smiled, as if he was about to divulge a secret. Levi had seen a similar look on Erwin’s face many times, and he cringed slightly, wondering what on earth the Professor was going to tell him. 

“What I found curious when sorting Erwin out at the hospital was that, despite being his father, I was not his first contact.” Levi’s blood froze. The Professor sounded more amused than anything, but Levi wasn’t going to take a chance and have him hate him. “His first contact was a Levi A. That was it, just a first name and initial, no number, no address, no email… just Levi A.”

Levi felt his heart skip in his chest, blood roaring in his ears as he held his breath. All this time and Levi had always been there in Erwin’s life, in the first emergency contact, even when Erwin only had shreds of an identity. Maybe Erwin did hate him in this life, maybe they would never be what they were before, but Levi was still important to Erwin, and he understood exactly why Professor Smith had come here tonight.

It wasn’t about getting Levi to trust the shifters. It wasn’t to get him to eat. It wasn’t even to introduce himself. Professor Smith was here to tell Levi that Erwin had always thought of him, that he’d always wanted Levi there, and Levi knew what he had to do.

He stood quickly, making for the door. He was one step in when he paused, looking down at the Professor, torn.

“I’m going to retire for the night,” he said simple, and Levi offered a hand, helping him up. “My routine after dropping your food off has always been to head to the library, the smaller one by the post room. Someone has been holing themselves up there, and I’ve been the one to drag them back to their room. Perhaps you could help an old man out and take on that job yourself tonight,” Professor Smith said, smiling and looking as fresh faced as anyone did at this time of evening. 

Levi offered a small nod and twitch of lips at the recommendation. They exited his room, and Levi paused, one foot in front of the other.

“Could we have tea together tomorrow?” he asked, words quiet as they stuck a little. He cleared his throat, waiting, feeling as if he was a young child speaking to a teacher. “I’d like to introduce myself properly,” Levi explained a little further, and a wide, familiar smile spread across Professor Smith’s face.

“Of course, Levi A.,” he said with crinkled eyes and a laugh. “I’ll arrange the details with you at breakfast – though if you miss the food hall I’m sure you can find my email out from someone.”

He waved as he turned away, and Levi watched him go until he was around the corner at the end of the hall, three doors down. He had no idea what to make of Professor Smith, but he could figure that out tomorrow.

Now, his self-enforced isolation had to come to an end. He needed to see Erwin.

It took two minutes to pass down the halls, ignoring everyone who greeted him. Levi practically ran, coming to a stop outside the closed door to the library. He took a deep breath and set his hand on the keypad to open it, thumbing the code in. There was a green light and a click as the locking mechanism disengaged, and Levi knew that this was it.

There was no going back now.


End file.
